Potato cultivar E12

ABSTRACT

A potato cultivar designated E12 is disclosed. The invention relates to the tubers of potato cultivar E12, to the seeds of potato cultivar E12, to the plants of potato E12, to the plant parts of potato cultivar E12, to food products produced from potato cultivar E12, and to methods for producing a potato plant produced by crossing potato cultivar E12 with itself or with another potato variety. The invention also relates to methods for producing a potato plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic potato plants and plant parts produced by those methods. This invention also relates to potato cultivars or breeding cultivars and plant parts derived from potato variety E12, to methods for producing other potato cultivars, lines or plant parts derived from potato cultivar E12 and to the potato plants, varieties, and their parts derived from use of those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid potato tubers, seeds, plants and plant parts produced by crossing potato cultivar E12 with another potato cultivar.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application claims the benefit of priority from U.S. provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/818,752, filed on May 2, 2013, which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to a novel potato cultivar designated E12 and to the tubers, plants, plant parts, tissue culture and seeds produced by that potato variety. The invention further relates to food products produced from potato cultivar E12, such as French fries, potato chips, dehydrated potato material, potato flakes and potato granules. All publications cited in this application are herein incorporated by reference.

The potato is the world's fourth most important food crop and by far the most important vegetable. Potatoes are currently grown commercially in nearly every state of the United States. Annual potato production exceeds 18 million tons in the United States and 300 million tons worldwide. The popularity of the potato derives mainly from its versatility and nutritional value. Potatoes can be used fresh, frozen or dried, or can be processed into flour, starch or alcohol. They contain complex carbohydrates and are rich in calcium, niacin and vitamin C.

The quality of potatoes in the food industry is adversely affected by two critical factors: (1) potatoes contain large amounts of asparagine, a non-essential free amino acid that is rapidly oxidized to form acrylamide, a carcinogenic product, upon frying or baking; and (2) potatoes are highly susceptible to enzymatic browning and discoloration, an undesirable event which happens when polyphenol oxidase leaks out from the damaged plastids of bruised potatoes. In the cytoplasm, the enzyme oxidizes phenols, which then rapidly polymerize to produce dark pigments. Tubers contain large amounts of phosphorylated starch, some of which is degraded during storage to produce glucose and fructose. These reducing sugars react with amino acids to form Maillard products including acrylamide when heated at temperatures above 120° C. Two enzymes involved in starch phosphorylation are water dikinase R1 and phosphorylase-L (R1 and PhL). Browning is also triggered non-enzymatically as a consequence of the partial degradation of starch into glucose and fructose.

To date, there are no potato plant varieties that produce tubers with low acrylamide content, increased black spot bruise tolerance and reduced senescence sweetening. Thus, there is a need to develop potato varieties with reduced levels of toxic compounds, but without the use of unknown or foreign nucleic acids. The present invention satisfies this need.

The foregoing examples of the related art and limitations related therewith are intended to be illustrative and not exclusive. Other limitations of the related art will become apparent to those of skill in the art upon a reading of the specification.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The following embodiments and aspects thereof are described in conjunction with systems, tools and methods which are meant to be exemplary, not limiting in scope. In various embodiments, one or more of the above-described problems have been reduced or eliminated, while other embodiments are directed to other improvements.

To this end, the present invention provides novel potato variety E12 transformed with nucleic acid sequences that are native to the potato plant genome and does not contain foreign DNA, Agrobacterium DNA, viral markers or vector backbone sequences. Rather, the DNA inserted into the genome of the potato variety E12 is a non-coding polynucleotide native to potato or native to wild potato, a potato sexually-compatible plant, that silences genes involved in the expression of black spot bruises, asparagine accumulation and senescence sweetening.

Thus, in one embodiment, the present invention provides a plant vector, referred to as pSIM278, that comprises a first silencing cassette containing two copies of a DNA segment comprising, in anti-sense orientation, a fragment of the asparagine synthetase-1 gene (fAsn1) and the 3′-untranslated sequence of the polyphenol oxidase-5 gene; and a second silencing cassette containing two copies of a DNA segment comprising, in anti-sense orientation, a fragment of the potato phosphorylase-L (pPhL) gene and a fragment of the potato R1 gene. The pSIM1278 vector comprises a 9,511 bp backbone region that supports maintenance of the plant DNA prior to plant transformation and is not transferred into plant cells upon transformation of the plant cells, and a 10,147 bp DNA insert region comprising native DNA that is stably integrated into the genome of the plant cells upon transformation.

In a different embodiment, the invention provides a plant cell transformed with the plant vector of the invention. In a further embodiment, the invention provides a potato plant variety comprising one or more cells transformed with the vector of the invention. In one aspect of the invention, the potato plant variety expresses at least one of the two silencing cassettes of the vector, and expression of the silencing cassette results in the down-regulation of the asparagine synthetase-1 gene and the polyphenol oxidase-5 gene in the tubers of the intragenic plant. In a preferred aspect of the invention, the tubers of the potato plant variety expressing at least one silencing cassette display two or more desirable traits that are not present in the tubers of untransformed plants of the same variety. In the most preferred aspect of the invention, the two or more desirable traits are selected from the group consisting of low asparagine accumulation, reduced black-spot bruising and reduced heat-induced acrylamide formation.

In a different aspect of the invention, the potato plant variety expresses both silencing cassettes of the plant DNA vector, and expression of the silencing cassettes results in the down-regulation of the asparagine synthetase-1 gene, the polyphenol oxidase-5 gene, the phosphorylase-L gene and the dikinase R1 gene in the tubers of the potato plant variety. In a preferred aspect of the invention, the tubers of the potato plant variety expressing two silencing cassettes of the plant DNA vector display two or more desirable traits that are not present in the tubers of untransformed plants of the same variety. In a preferred embodiment, the two or more desirable traits are selected from the group consisting of low asparagine accumulation, reduced black-spot bruising, reduced accumulation of reducing sugars during storage and reduced heat-induced acrylamide formation. In one aspect of the invention, the potato plant variety expressing the two silencing cassettes of the plant DNA vector is the Russet Burbank E12 variety.

Thus, according to the invention, there is provided a new potato cultivar of the genus and species Solanum tuberosum L. designated E12. This invention thus relates to potato cultivar E12, to the tubers of potato cultivar E12, to the plants of potato cultivar E12, to the seeds of potato cultivar E12, to the food products produced from potato cultivar E12, and to methods for producing a potato plant produced by selfing potato cultivar E12 or by crossing potato cultivar E12 with another potato cultivar, and the creation of variants by mutagenesis or transformation of potato cultivar E12.

Thus, any such methods using the cultivar E12 are embodiments of this invention: selfing, backcrosses, hybrid production, crosses to populations, and the like. All plants produced using potato cultivar E12 as at least one parent are within the scope of this invention. Advantageously, the potato cultivar could be used in crosses with other, different, potato plants to produce first generation (F₁) potato hybrid tubers, seeds and plants with superior characteristics.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides for single or multiple gene converted plants of potato cultivar E12. In one embodiment, the transferred gene(s) may be a dominant or recessive allele(s). In some embodiments, the transferred gene(s) will confer such traits as herbicide resistance, insect resistance, resistance for bacterial, fungal, or viral disease, male fertility, male sterility, enhanced nutritional quality, uniformity, and increase in concentration of starch and other carbohydrates, decrease in tendency to bruise and decrease in the rate of conversion of starch to sugars. The gene(s) may be a naturally occurring potato gene or a transgene introduced through genetic engineering techniques, backcrossing or mutation.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides regenerable cells for use in tissue culture of potato cultivar E12. In one embodiment, the tissue culture will be capable of regenerating plants having all the physiological and morphological characteristics of the foregoing potato plant, and of regenerating plants having substantially the same genotype as the foregoing potato plant. In some embodiments, the regenerable cells in such tissue cultures will be embryos, protoplasts, meristematic cells, callus, pollen, leaves, anthers, pistils, cotyledons, hypocotyl, roots, root tips, flowers, seeds, petioles, tubers, eyes or stems. Still further, the present invention provides potato plants regenerated from tissue cultures of the invention.

In a further embodiment, the invention provides a food product made from a tuber of potato plant variety Russet Burbank E12. Preferably, the food product is a heat-treated product. Even more preferably, the food product is a French fry, potato chip, dehydrated potato material, potato flakes, or potato granules.

In addition to the exemplary aspects and embodiments described above, further aspects and embodiments will become apparent by study of the following descriptions.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 depicts the pSIM1278 transformation vector. The vector backbone region, on the left, is 9,511 bp long, as it starts at position 9,957 bp and ends at position 19,468 bp. The backbone DNA consists mainly of bacterial DNA which provides support maintenance of the DNA insert prior to plant transformation. The DNA insert region (right side) is 10,147 bp long (from 19,469 bp to 19,660 bp and from 1 bp to 9,956 bp). The DNA insert consists of native DNA only and was stably integrated into the potato genome upon transformation.

FIG. 2 provides a schematic representation of the silencing cassettes in the DNA insert inserted in the pSIM1278 transformation vector. Each silencing cassette contains two copies of two gene fragments separated by a spacer. Two copies of a DNA segment comprising fragments of four targeted genes, namely Asn-1, Ppo-5, Ph1 and R1, were inserted as inverted repeats between two convergent promoters, indicated as Pro, that are predominantly active in tubers. Plants containing the resulting silencing cassette produce a diverse and unpolyadenylated array of RNA molecules in tubers that dynamically and vigorously silence the intended target genes. The size of the RNA molecules was generally smaller than the distance between the two promoters employed because convergent transcription results in collisional transcription.

FIG. 3 shows the results of the catechol assay. The Russet Burbank control is on the left and variety E12 is on the right. Dark brown indicates that the trait for black spot bruise reduction is not present. As seen in FIG. 3, E12 has the trait for black spot bruise reduction, whereas the control does not.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

In the description and tables which follow, a number of terms are used. In order to provide a clear and consistent understanding of the specification and claims, including the scope to be given such terms, the following definitions are provided:

Allele. An allele is any of one or more alternative forms of a gene which relate to one trait or characteristic. In a diploid cell or organism, the two alleles of a given gene occupy corresponding loci on a pair of homologous chromosomes.

Amino acid sequence. As used herein, includes an oligopeptide, peptide, polypeptide, or protein and fragments thereof that are isolated from, native to, or naturally occurring in a plant, or are synthetically made but comprise the nucleic acid sequence of the endogenous counterpart.

Artificially manipulated. as used herein, “artificially manipulated” means to move, arrange, operate or control by the hands or by mechanical means or recombinant means, such as by genetic engineering techniques, a plant or plant cell, so as to produce a plant or plant cell that has a different biological, biochemical, morphological, or physiological phenotype and/or genotype in comparison to unmanipulated, naturally-occurring counterpart.

Asexual propagation. Producing progeny by generating an entire plant from leaf cuttings, stem cuttings, root cuttings, tuber eyes, stolons, single plant cells protoplasts, callus and the like, that does not involve fusion of gametes.

Backbone. Nucleic acid sequence of a binary vector that excludes the DNA insert sequence intended for transfer.

Backcrossing. Backcrossing is a process in which a breeder repeatedly crosses hybrid progeny back to one of the parents, for example, a first generation hybrid F₁ with one of the parental genotypes of the F₁ hybrid.

Bacterial Ring Rot. Bacterial ring rot is a disease caused by the bacterium Clavibacter michiganense ssp. Bacterial ring rot derives its name from a characteristic breakdown of the vascular ring within the tuber. This ring often appears as a creamy-yellow to light-brown, cheesy rot. On the outer surface of the potato, severely diseased tubers may show slightly sunken, dry and cracked areas. Symptoms of bacterial ring rot in the vascular tissue of infected tubers can be less obvious than described above, appearing as only a broken, sporadically appearing dark line or as a continuous, yellowish discoloration.

Black spot bruise. Black spots found in bruised tuber tissue are a result of a pigment called melanin that is produced following the injury of cells and gives tissue a brown, gray or black appearance. Melanin is formed when phenol substrates and an appropriate enzyme come in contact with each other as a result of cellular damage. The damage does not require broken cells. However, mixing of the substrate and enzyme must occur, usually when the tissue is impacted. Black spots occur primarily in the perimedullary tissue just beneath the vascular ring, but may be large enough to include a portion of the cortical tissue.

Border-like sequences. A “border-like” sequence is isolated from the selected plant species that is to be modified, or from a plant that is sexually-compatible with the plant species to be modified, and functions like the border sequences of Agrobacterium. That is, a border-like sequence of the present invention promotes and facilitates the integration of a polynucleotide to which it is linked. A border-like sequence is between 5-100 bp in length, 10-80 bp in length, 15-75 bp in length, 15-60 bp in length, 15-50 bp in length, 15-40 bp in length, 15-30 bp in length, 16-30 bp in length, 20-30 bp in length, 21-30 bp in length, 22-30 bp in length, 23-30 bp in length, 24-30 bp in length, 25-30 bp in length, or 26-30 bp in length. Left and right border sequences are isolated from and/or native to the genome of a plant that is to be modified. A border-like sequence is not identical in nucleotide sequence to any known Agrobacterium-derived T-DNA border sequence. Thus, a border-like sequence may possess 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, or more nucleotides that are different from a T-DNA border sequence from an Agrobacterium species, such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens or Agrobacterium rhizogenes. That is, a border, or a border-like sequence of the present invention has at least 95%, at least 90%, at least 80%, at least 75%, at least 70%, at least 60% or at least 50% sequence identity with a T-DNA border sequence from an Agrobacterium species, such as Agrobacterium tumefaciens or Agrobacterium rhizogenes, but not 100% sequence identity. A border-like sequence can be isolated from a plant genome and be modified or mutated to change the efficiency by which it is capable of integrating a nucleotide sequence into another nucleotide sequence. Other polynucleotide sequences may be added to or incorporated within a border-like sequence of the present invention. Thus, a left border or a right border may be modified so as to possess 5′- and 3′-multiple cloning sites, or additional restriction sites. A border sequence may be modified to increase the likelihood that backbone DNA from the accompanying vector is not integrated into the plant genome.

Consisting essentially of. A composition “consisting essentially of” certain elements is limited to the inclusion of those elements, as well as to those elements that do not materially affect the basic and novel characteristics of the inventive composition. Thus, so long as the composition does not affect the basic and novel characteristics of the instant invention, that is, does not contain foreign DNA that is not from the selected plant species or a plant that is sexually compatible with the selected plant species, then that composition may be considered a component of an inventive composition that is characterized by “consisting essentially of” language.

Cotyledon. A cotyledon is a type of seed leaf. The cotyledon contains the food storage tissues of the seed.

Degenerate primer. A “degenerate primer” is an oligonucleotide that contains sufficient nucleotide variations that it can accommodate base mismatches when hybridized to sequences of similar, but not exact, homology.

Dicotyledon (dicot). A flowering plant whose embryos have two seed leaves or cotyledons. Examples of dicots include, but are not limited to, tobacco, tomato, potato, sweet potato, cassaya, legumes including alfalfa and soybean, carrot, strawberry, lettuce, oak, maple, walnut, rose, mint, squash, daisy, and cactus.

DNA insert. According to the present invention, the DNA insert to be inserted into the genome of a plant comprises polynucleotide sequences native to that plant or has native genetic elements to that plant. In one example, for instance, the DNA insert of the potato variety E12 of the present invention is a 10,147 bp non-coding polynucleotide that is native to potato or wild potato, a potato sexually-compatible plant, that is stably integrated into the genome of the plant cells upon transformation and silences genes involved in the expression of black spot bruises, asparagine accumulation and senescence sweetening. The DNA insert preferably comprises two expression cassettes and is inserted into a transformation vector referred to as the pSIM1278 transformation vector. The first cassette comprises fragments of both the asparagine synthetase-1 gene (Asn1) and the polyphenol oxidase-5 gene (Ppo5), arranged as inverted repeats between the Agp promoter of the ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase gene (Agp) and the Gbss promoter of the granule-bound synthase gene (Gbss). These promoters are predominantly active in tubers. The function of the second cassette is to silence the promoters of the starch associated gene dikinase-R1 (R1) and the phosphorylase-L gene (PhL). This cassette is comprised of fragments of the promoters of the starch associated gene dikinase-R1 (R1) and the phosphorylase-L gene (PhL), operably linked to the same Agp and Gbss promoters as the first cassette. These expression cassettes contain no foreign DNA, and consist of DNA only from either the selected plant species or from a plant that is sexually compatible with the selected plant species.

Embryo. The embryo is the immature plant contained within a mature seed.

Foreign. “Foreign,” with respect to a nucleic acid, means that that nucleic acid is derived from non-plant organisms, or derived from a plant that is not the same species as the plant to be transformed or is not derived from a plant that is not interfertile with the plant to be transformed, does not belong to the species of the target plant. According to the present invention, foreign DNA or RNA represents nucleic acids that are naturally occurring in the genetic makeup of fungi, bacteria, viruses, mammals, fish or birds, but are not naturally occurring in the plant that is to be transformed. Thus, a foreign nucleic acid is one that encodes, for instance, a polypeptide that is not naturally produced by the transformed plant. A foreign nucleic acid does not have to encode a protein product. According to the present invention, a desired intragenic plant is one that does not contain any foreign nucleic acids integrated into its genome.

Gene. As used herein, “gene” refers to the coding region and does not include nucleotide sequences that are 5′- or 3′- to that region. A functional gene is the coding region operably linked to a promoter or terminator. A gene can be introduced into a genome of a species, whether from a different species or from the same species, using transformation or various breeding methods.

Gene Converted (Conversion). Gene converted (conversion) plant refers to plants which are developed by a plant breeding technique called backcrossing wherein essentially all of the desired morphological and physiological characteristics of a variety are recovered in addition to the one or more genes transferred into the variety via the backcrossing technique, via genetic engineering or via mutation. One or more loci may also be transferred.

Genetic rearrangement. Refers to the re-association of genetic elements that can occur spontaneously in vivo as well as in vitro which introduce a new organization of genetic material. For instance, the splicing together of polynucleotides at different chromosomal loci, can occur spontaneously in vivo during both plant development and sexual recombination. Accordingly, recombination of genetic elements by non-natural genetic modification techniques in vitro is akin to recombination events that also can occur through sexual recombination in vivo. The insertion of a DNA insert into a plant genome, for instance, is an example of a genetic or genomic rearrangement.

Golden nematode. Globodera rostochiensis, commonly known as golden nematode, is a plant parasitic nematode affecting the roots and tubers of potato plants. Symptoms include poor plant growth, wilting, water stress and nutrient deficiencies.

Hypocotyl. A hypocotyl is the portion of an embryo or seedling between the cotyledons and the root. Therefore, it can be considered a transition zone between shoot and root.

In frame. Nucleotide triplets (codons) are translated into a nascent amino acid sequence of the desired recombinant protein in a plant cell. Specifically, the present invention contemplates a first nucleic acid linked in reading frame to a second nucleic acid, wherein the first nucleotide sequence is a gene and the second nucleotide is a promoter or similar regulatory element.

Integrate. Refers to the insertion of a nucleic acid sequence from a selected plant species, or from a plant that is from the same species as the selected plant, or from a plant that is sexually compatible with the selected plant species, into the genome of a cell of a selected plant species. “Integration” refers to the incorporation of only native genetic elements into a plant cell genome. In order to integrate a native genetic element, such as by homologous recombination, the present invention may “use” non-native DNA as a step in such a process. Thus, the present invention distinguishes between the “use of” a particular DNA molecule and the “integration” of a particular DNA molecule into a plant cell genome.

Introduction. As used herein, refers to the insertion of a nucleic acid sequence into a cell, by methods including infection, transfection, transformation or transduction.

Isolated. “Isolated” refers to any nucleic acid or compound that is physically separated from its normal, native environment. The isolated material may be maintained in a suitable solution containing, for instance, a solvent, a buffer, an ion, or other component, and may be in purified, or unpurified, form.

Leader. Transcribed but not translated sequence preceding (or 5′ to) a gene.

Locus. A locus confers one or more traits such as, for example, male sterility, herbicide tolerance, insect resistance, disease resistance, waxy starch, modified fatty acid metabolism, modified phytic acid metabolism, modified carbohydrate metabolism, and modified protein metabolism. The trait may be, for example, conferred by a naturally occurring gene introduced into the genome of the variety by backcrossing, a natural or induced mutation, or a transgene introduced through genetic transformation techniques. A locus may comprise one or more alleles integrated at a single chromosomal location.

Marketable Yield. Marketable yield is the weight of all tubers harvested that are between 2 and 4 inches in diameter. Marketable yield is measured in cwt (hundred weight) where cwt=100 pounds.

Monocotyledon (monocot). A flowering plant whose embryos have one cotyledon or seed leaf Examples of monocots include, but are not limited to turf grass, maize, rice, oat, wheat, barley, sorghum, orchid, iris, lily, onion, and palm.

Native. A “native” genetic element refers to a nucleic acid that naturally exists in, orginates from, or belongs to the genome of a plant that is to be transformed. Thus, any nucleic acid, gene, polynucleotide, DNA, RNA, mRNA, or cDNA molecule that is isolated either from the genome of a plant or plant species that is to be transformed or is isolated from a plant or species that is sexually compatible or interfertile with the plant species that is to be transformed, is “native” to, i.e., indigenous to, the plant species. In other words, a native genetic element represents all genetic material that is accessible to plant breeders for the improvement of plants through classical plant breeding. Any variants of a native nucleic acid also are considered “native” in accordance with the present invention. In this respect, a “native” nucleic acid may also be isolated from a plant or sexually compatible species thereof and modified or mutated so that the resultant variant is greater than or equal to 99%, 98%, 97%, 96%, 95%, 94%, 93%, 92%, 91%, 90%, 89%, 88%, 87%, 86%, 85%, 84%, 83%, 82%, 81%, 80%, 79%, 78%, 77%, 76%, 75%, 74%, 73%, 72%, 71%, 70%, 69%, 68%, 67%, 66%, 65%, 64%, 63%, 62%, 61%, or 60% similar in nucleotide sequence to the unmodified, native nucleic acid isolated from a plant. A native nucleic acid variant may also be less than about 60%, less than about 55%, or less than about 50% similar in nucleotide sequence. A “native” nucleic acid isolated from a plant may also encode a variant of the naturally occurring protein product transcribed and translated from that nucleic acid. Thus, a native nucleic acid may encode a protein that is greater than or equal to 99%, 98%, 97%, 96%, 95%, 94%, 93%, 92%, 91%, 90%, 89%, 88%, 87%, 86%, 85%, 84%, 83%, 82%, 81%, 80%, 79%, 78%, 77%, 76%, 75%, 74%, 73%, 72%, 71%, 70%, 69%, 68%, 67%, 66%, 65%, 64%, 63%, 62%, 61%, or 60% similar in amino acid sequence to the unmodified, native protein expressed in the plant from which the nucleic acid was isolated.

Native genetic elements. “Native genetic elements” can be incorporated and integrated into a selected plant species genome according to the present invention. Native genetic elements are isolated from plants that belong to the selected plant species or from plants that are sexually compatible with the selected plant species. For instance, native DNA incorporated into cultivated potato (Solanum tuberosum) can be derived from any genotype of S. tuberosum or any genotype of a wild potato species that is sexually compatible with S. tuberosum (e.g., S. demissum).

Naturally occurring nucleic acid. Naturally occurring nucleic acid are found within the genome of a selected plant species and may be a DNA molecule or an RNA molecule. The sequence of a restriction site that is normally present in the genome of a plant species can be engineered into an exogenous DNA molecule, such as a vector or oligonucleotide, even though that restriction site was not physically isolated from that genome. Thus, the present invention permits the synthetic creation of a nucleotide sequence, such as a restriction enzyme recognition sequence, so long as that sequence is naturally occurring in the genome of the selected plant species or in a plant that is sexually compatible with the selected plant species that is to be transformed.

Operably linked. Combining two or more molecules in such a fashion that in combination they function properly in a plant cell. For instance, a promoter is operably linked to a structural gene when the promoter controls transcription of the structural gene.

Plant. As used herein, the term “plant” includes but is not limited to angiosperms and gymnosperms such as potato, tomato, tobacco, alfalfa, lettuce, carrot, strawberry, sugarbeet, cassaya, sweet potato, soybean, maize, turf grass, wheat, rice, barley, sorghum, oat, oak, eucalyptus, walnut, and palm. Thus, a plant may be a monocot or a dicot. The word “plant,” as used herein, also encompasses plant cells, seed, plant progeny, propagule whether generated sexually or asexually, and descendents of any of these, such as cuttings or seed. Plant cells include suspension cultures, callus, embryos, meristematic regions, callus tissue, leaves, roots, shoots, gametophytes, sporophytes, pollen, seeds and microspores. Plants may be at various stages of maturity and may be grown in liquid or solid culture, or in soil or suitable media in pots, greenhouses or fields. Expression of an introduced leader, trailer or gene sequences in plants may be transient or permanent. A “selected plant species” may be, but is not limited to, a species of any one of these “plants.”

Plant Parts. As used herein, the term “plant parts” (or a potato plant, or a part thereof) includes but is not limited to protoplast, leaf, stem, root, root tip, anther, pistil, seed, embryo, pollen, ovule, cotyledon, hypocotyl, flower, tuber, eye, tissue, petiole, cell, meristematic cell, and the like.

Plant species. The group of plants belonging to various officially named plant species that display at least some sexual compatibility.

Plant transformation and cell culture. Broadly refers to the process by which plant cells are genetically modified and transferred to an appropriate plant culture medium for maintenance, further growth, and/or further development.

Precise breeding. Refers to the improvement of plants by stable introduction of nucleic acids, such as native genes and regulatory elements isolated from the selected plant species, or from another plant in the same species as the selected plant, or from species that are sexually compatible with the selected plant species, into individual plant cells, and subsequent regeneration of these genetically modified plant cells into whole plants. Since no unknown or foreign nucleic acid is permanently incorporated into the plant genome, the inventive technology makes use of the same genetic material that is also accessible through conventional plant breeding.

Progeny. As used herein, includes an F₁ potato plant produced from the cross of two potato plants where at least one plant includes potato cultivar E12 and progeny further includes, but is not limited to, subsequent F₂, F₃, F₄, F₅, F₆, F₇, F₈, F₉, and F₁₀ generational crosses with the recurrent parental line.

Quantitative Trait Loci (QTL). Quantitative trait loci (QTL) refer to genetic loci that control to some degree numerically representable traits that are usually continuously distributed.

Recombinant. As used herein, broadly describes various technologies whereby genes can be cloned, DNA can be sequenced, and protein products can be produced. As used herein, the term also describes proteins that have been produced following the transfer of genes into the cells of plant host systems.

Regeneration. Regeneration refers to the development of a plant from tissue culture.

Regulatory sequences. Refers to those sequences which are standard and known to those in the art, that may be included in the expression vectors to increase and/or maximize transcription of a gene of interest or translation of the resulting RNA in a plant system. These include, but are not limited to, promoters, peptide export signal sequences, introns, polyadenylation, and transcription termination sites. Methods of modifying nucleic acid constructs to increase expression levels in plants are also generally known in the art (see, e.g. Rogers et al., 260 J. Biol. Chem. 3731-38, 1985; Cornejo et al., 23 Plant Mol. Biol. 567: 81, 1993). In engineering a plant system to affect the rate of transcription of a protein, various factors known in the art, including regulatory sequences such as positively or negatively acting sequences, enhancers and silencers, as well as chromatin structure may have an impact. The present invention provides that at least one of these factors may be utilized in engineering plants to express a protein of interest. The regulatory sequences of the present invention are native genetic elements, i.e., are isolated from the selected plant species to be modified.

Selectable marker. A “selectable marker” is typically a gene that codes for a protein that confers some kind of resistance to an antibiotic, herbicide or toxic compound, and is used to identify transformation events. Examples of selectable markers include the streptomycin phosphotransferase (spt) gene encoding streptomycin resistance, the phosphomannose isomerase (pmi) gene that converts mannose-6-phosphate into fructose-6 phosphate; the neomycin phosphotransferase (nptII) gene encoding kanamycin and geneticin resistance, the hygromycin phosphotransferase (hpt or aphiv) gene encoding resistance to hygromycin, acetolactate synthase (als) genes encoding resistance to sulfonylurea-type herbicides, genes coding for resistance to herbicides which act to inhibit the action of glutamine synthase such as phosphinothricin or basta (e.g., the bar gene), or other similar genes known in the art.

Sense suppression. Reduction in expression of an endogenous gene by expression of one or more an additional copies of all or part of that gene in transgenic plants.

Specific gravity. As used herein, “specific gravity” is an expression of density and is a measurement of potato quality. There is a high correlation between the specific gravity of the tuber and the starch content and percentage of dry matter or total solids. A higher specific gravity contributes to higher recovery rate and better quality of the processed product.

T-DNA-Like. A “T-DNA-like” sequence is a nucleic acid that is isolated from a selected plant species, or from a plant that is sexually compatible with the selected plant species, and which shares at least 75%, 80%, 85%, 90%, or 95%, but not 100%, sequence identity with Agrobacterium species T-DNA. The T-DNA-like sequence may contain one or more border or border-like sequences that are each capable of integrating a nucleotide sequence into another polynucleotide.

Total Yield. Total yield refers to the total weight of all harvested tubers.

Trailer. Transcribed but not translated sequence following (or 3′ to) a gene.

Transcribed DNA. DNA comprising both a gene and the untranslated leader and trailer sequence that are associated with that gene, which is transcribed as a single mRNA by the action of the preceding promoter.

Transformation of plant cells. A process by which DNA is stably integrated into the genome of a plant cell. “Stably” refers to the permanent, or non-transient retention and/or expression of a polynucleotide in and by a cell genome. Thus, a stably integrated polynucleotide is one that is a fixture within a transformed cell genome and can be replicated and propagated through successive progeny of the cell or resultant transformed plant. Transformation may occur under natural or artificial conditions using various methods well known in the art.

Transformation may rely on any known method for the insertion of nucleic acid sequences into a prokaryotic or eukaryotic host cell, including Agrobacterium-mediated transformation protocols, viral infection, whiskers, electroporation, heat shock, lipofection, polyethylene glycol treatment, micro-injection, and particle bombardment.

Transgene. A gene that will be inserted into a host genome, comprising a protein coding region. In the context of the instant invention, the elements comprising the transgene are isolated from the host genome.

Transgenic plant. A genetically modified plant which contains at least one transgene.

Variant. A “variant,” as used herein, is understood to mean a nucleotide or amino acid sequence that deviates from the standard, or given, nucleotide or amino acid sequence of a particular gene or protein. The terms, “isoform,” “isotype,” and “analog” also refer to “variant” forms of a nucleotide or an amino acid sequence. An amino acid sequence that is altered by the addition, removal or substitution of one or more amino acids, or a change in nucleotide sequence, may be considered a “variant” sequence. The variant may have “conservative” changes, wherein a substituted amino acid has similar structural or chemical properties, e.g., replacement of leucine with isoleucine. A variant may have “nonconservative” changes, e.g., replacement of a glycine with a tryptophan. Analogous minor variations may also include amino acid deletions or insertions, or both. Guidance in determining which amino acid residues may be substituted, inserted, or deleted may be found using computer programs well known in the art such as Vector NTI Suite (InforMax, Md.) software.

Vine Maturity. Vine maturity refers to a plant's ability to continue to utilize carbohydrates and photosynthesize. Vine maturity is scored on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1=dead vines and 5=vines green, still flowering.

The insertion of desirable traits into the genome of potato plants presents particular difficulties because potato is tetraploid, highly heterozygous and sensitive to in-breeding depression. It is therefore very difficult to efficiently develop transgenic potato plants that produce less acrylamide and less harmful Maillard-reaction products, including N-Nitroso-N-(3-keto-1,2-butanediol)-3′-nitrotyramine (Wang et al., Arch Toxicol 70: 10-5, 1995), 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural (Janzowski et al., Food Chem Toxicol 38: 801-9, 2000), and other Maillard reaction products with mutagenic properties (Shibamoto, Prog Clin Biol Res 304: 359-76, 1989), during processing using conventional breeding.

Several methods have been tested and research is ongoing to reduce acrylamide through process changes, reduction in dextrose, and additives such as asparaginase, citrate, and competing amino acids. The required capital expense to implement process changes throughout the potato industry would cost millions of dollars. In addition to the expense, these process changes have significant drawbacks including potentially negative flavors associated with additives such as asparaginase or citrate. Typically, fry manufacturers add dextrose during processing of french fries to develop the desired golden brown color, but dextrose also increases the formation of acrylamide through the Maillard reaction. Significant reductions in acrylamide occur by merely omitting dextrose from the process; however, the signature golden brown colors must then be developed some other way (such as though the addition of colors like annatto) The use of alternate colors, results in an absence of the typical flavors that develop through those browning reactions. Another challenge with the use of additives to reduce reactants like asparagine is moisture migration that occurs during frozen storage with the resulting return of asparagine to the surface and increased acrylamide. Finally, the blackening that occurs after potatoes are bruised affects quality and recovery in processing French fries and chips. Damaged and bruised potatoes must be trimmed or are rejected before processing, resulting in quality challenges or economic loss.

The “native technology” strategy of the present invention addresses the need of the potato industry to improve the agronomic characteristics and nutritional value of potatoes by reducing the expression of polyphenol oxidase-5 (PPO-5), which is responsible for black spot bruise, the expression of asparagine synthetase-1 (Asn-1), which is responsible for the accumulation of asparagine, a precursor in acrylamide formation, and/or the expression of phosphorylase-L and kinase-R1, which are enzymes associated with the accumulation of reducing sugars that normally react with amino acids, such as asparagine, and form toxic Maillard products, including acrylamide. The partial or complete silencing of these genes in tubers decreases the potential to produce acrylamide. Use of the native technology of the invention allows for the incorporation of desirable traits into the genome of commercially valuable potato plant varieties by transforming the potatoes only with “native” genetic material, that is genetic material obtained from potato plants or plants that are sexually-compatible with potato plants, that contains only non-coding regulatory regions, without the integration of any foreign genetic material into the plant's genome. Desirable traits include high tolerance to impact-induced black spot bruise, reduced formation of the acrylamide precursor asparagine and reduced accumulation of reducing sugars, with consequent decrease in accumulation of toxic Maillard products, including acrylamide, improved quality and food color control. The incorporation of these desirable traits into existing potato varieties is impossible to achieve through traditional breeding because potato is tetraploid, highly heterozygous and sensitive to inbreeding depression.

The non-coding potato plant DNA insert sequences used in the present invention are native to the potato plant genome and do not contain any Agrobacterium DNA. The DNA insert preferably comprises two expression cassettes and is inserted into a transformation vector referred to as the pSIM1278 transformation vector. The first cassette comprises fragments of both the asparagine synthetase-1 gene (Asn1) and the polyphenol oxidase-5 gene (Ppo5), arranged as inverted repeats between the Agp promoter of the ADP glucose pyrophosphorylase gene (Agp) and the Gbss promoter of the granule-bound synthase gene (Gbss). These promoters are predominantly active in tubers. The function of the second cassette is to silence the promoters of the starch associated gene dikinase-R1 (R1) and the phosphorylase-L gene (PhL). This cassette is comprised of fragments of the promoters of the starch associated gene dikinase-R1 (R1) and the phosphorylase-L gene (PhL), operably linked to the same Agp and Gbss promoters as the first cassette. These expression cassettes contain no foreign DNA, and consist of DNA only from either the selected plant species or from a plant that is sexually compatible with the selected plant species.

The commercially valuable potato plant variety used in the present invention is Russet Burbank. Luther Burbank developed this variety in the early 1870s. Plants are vigorous and have an indeterminate type of growth. Stems are thick, prominently angled and finely mottled. Leaflets are long to medium in width and light to medium green in color. The blossoms are few, white and not fertile. The cultivar is tolerant to common scab but is susceptible to Fusarium and Verticillium wilts, leafroll and net necrosis, and viruses. Plants require conditions of high and uniform soil moisture and controlled nitrogen fertility to produce tubers free from knobs, pointed ends and dumbbells. Jelly-end and sugar-end develop in tubers when plants are subjected to stress. The tubers produced are large brown-skinned and white-fleshed, display good long-term storage characteristics, and represent the standard for excellent baking and processing quality. Russett Burbank varieties have a high susceptibility to develop black spot bruise and also have high free asparagine content and high senescence sweetening potential (Am. J. Potato Res (1966) 43: 305-314). The variety is sterile and widely grown in the Northwest and Midwest, especially for the production of French fries.

The present invention provides a potato variety of significant market value—namely Russet Burbank—transformed with the transformation vector pSIM1278, identified using the polymerase chain reaction rather than markers, and successfully propagated. Also provided are food products made from the tubers of the potato plant variety E12 of the present invention. Potato cultivar E12 has the following unique plant variety identifier with the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD): SPS-ØØE12-8.

Targeted gene silencing with native DNA reduces the level of the RNA transcripts of the targeted genes in the tubers of the potato plant variety E12. Asn1 and Ppo5 gene silencing is sufficient to significantly reduce acrylamide formation by two to four fold without further inhibiting the starch associated genes kinase-R1 (R1) and phosphorylase-L (PhL). Thus, the tubers of the intragenic potato plant variety E12 of the invention incorporate highly desirable traits, including a reduced ratio in free amide amino acids asparagine and glutamine, which is associated with reduced acrylamide formation upon frying or baking. Specifically, the potato variety E12 of the present invention is characterized by two- to more than four-fold reduction in free-asparagine content and a reduced discoloration associated with black spot bruise. Furthermore, the potato variety E12 of the invention displays a delay in the degradation of starch into the reducing sugars glucose and fructose during storage. Impairment of starch-to-sugar conversion further reduces senescence sweetening and acrylamide formation and limits heat-induced browning.

Potato variety E12 of the present invention is therefore extremely valuable in the potato industry and food market, as its tubers produce significantly less acrylamide upon heat processing and do not carry any potentially harmful foreign genes.

EXAMPLES

The present invention uses native technology to integrate native non-coding DNA into the genome of selected potato plant varieties to develop new intragenic potato plant varieties. The method includes trait identification, design of vectors, incorporation of vectors into Agrobacterium, selection of the recipient potato variety, plant transformation, evidence of absence of open reading frames, and confirmation that the new potato plant varieties contain only the native DNA. The potato cultivar E12 of the present invention has a lowered potential to form acrylamide, lower amounts of sucrose and is more resistant to black spot bruise than its untransformed counterpart.

Example 1 The pSIM1278 Transformation Vector

The transformation vector pSIM1278 used in the invention was derived from pSIM106, which was created by ligating a 0.4-kb potato plant DNA fragment (deposited as GenBank accession no. AY566555) with a 5.9-kb SacII-SphI fragment of pCAMBIA1301 (CAMBIA, Canberra, Australia), carrying bacterial origins of replication from plasmids pVS1 and pBR322, and the nptIII gene for bacterial resistance to kanamycin. An expression cassette comprising the Agrobacterium ipt gene preceded by the Ubi-3 promoter (Garbarino and Belknap, 1994) and followed by the Ubi-3 terminator was introduced as a 2.6-kb SacII fragment into the vector backbone (Rommens et al., 2004). Insertion of the native 10-kb DNA segment carrying two silencing cassettes into the DNA insert of pSIM106 yielded pSIM1278. This vector was used for all transformations. The pSIM1278 vector map is shown in FIG. 1. The vector backbone region is 9,511 bp, as it starts at position 9,957 bp and ends at position 19,468 bp. The backbone DNA consists mainly of bacterial DNA and provides support maintenance of the DNA insert prior to plant transformation. The backbone portion is not transferred into the plant cells. The various elements of the backbone are described in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Other Genbank Start-End effects on Accession Point in Genetic Element Origin Intended Function plant Number pSIM1278 Reference Pat promoter (pPat) Solanum Drives expression of the ipt None HM439286 17,479- Unpublished including the coding tuberosum var. backbone marker gene 19,2178 sequence for a 76- Ranger Russet amino-acid potato ubiquitin monomer Isopentenyl transferase Agrobacterium condensation of AMP and Cytokinin NC_002377.1 16,744- Smigocki (ipt) gene tumefaciens isopentenylpyrophosphate formation 17,466 and Owens, to form isopentenyl-AMP, 1988 a cytokinin Terminator of the Solanum Terminate ipt gene None GP755544.1 16,038- Garbarino ubiquitin-3 gene tuberosum transcription 16,392 and Belknap, (tUbi3) 1994 Neomycin E. coli Aminoglycoside None FJ362602.1 15,048- Courvalin et phosphotransferase III phosphotransferase 15,842 al., 1977 (nptIII) gene Origin of replication for E. coli Start position for plasmid None J01784.1 14,477- pBR322 (pBR322 ori) replication in bacterial cells 14,757 (pBR322 bom) E. coli pBR322 region for None J01749.1 14,077- replication in E. coli 14,337 pVS1 replicon Pseudomonas pVS1 region for replication None AJ537514.1 12,667- (pVS1Rep) fluorescens in Agrobacterium (4,501-5,501) 13,667 plasmid pVS1 pVS1 partitioning Pseudomonas pVS1 stability None AJ537514.1 11,074- protein StaA (PVS1 fluorescens (6,095-7,095) 12,074 Stat) plasmid pVS1 overdrive Agrobacterium Enhances cleavage at the None K00549.1 9,963- tumefaciens Right Border site (103-132) 9,992

Example 2 The Plant DNA Insert and its Open Reading Frames (ORFs)

The DNA insert region used in the pSIM1278 is 10,147 bp long, from 19,469 bp to 19,660 bp and from 1 bp to 9,956 bp. The DNA insert consists of native DNA only and is stably integrated into the potato genome. The DNA insert or a functional part thereof, is the only genetic material of vector pSIM1278 that is integrated in the potato plant varieties of the invention. The DNA insert is described in FIG. 2 and Table 2 below.

TABLE 2 Genbank Start-End Accession Point in Genetic Element Origin Intended Function Number pSIM1278 Reference Left Border (LB) site Synthetic Site for secondary cleavage to AY566555 19,469-19,493 van Haaren release single-stranded from (bases 1-25) et al. 1989 pSIM1278 DNA flanking the LB sequence S. tuberosum Supports secondary cleavage AY566555 19,494-19,655 var. Ranger at LB (bases 26-187) Russet KpnI restriction site S. tuberosum Site for connection of AF393847.1 19,656-1    transfer-DNA with LB flanking sequence. Promoter for the ADP glucose S. tuberosum One of the two convergent HM363752    2-2,261 pyrophosphorylase gene var. Ranger promoters that drives (pAgp), 1st copy Russet expression of an inverted repeat containing fragments of Asn1 and Ppo5, especially in tubers Fragment of the asparagine S. tuberosum Generates with (9) double HM363759 2,262-2,666 Chawla et synthetase-1 (Asn1) gene (1st var. Ranger stranded RNA that triggers al. 2012 copy antisense orientation) Russet the degradation of Asn1 transcripts to impair asparagine formation 3′-untranslated sequence of the S. verrucosum Generates with (8) double HM363754 2,667-2,810 polyphenol oxidase-5 gene stranded RNA that triggers (Ppo5) (1st copy, in antisense the degradation of Ppo5 orientation) transcripts to block black spot bruise development Xba1 restriction site S. tuberosum Cloning site. U26831.1 2,811-2,816 Spacer-1 S. tuberosum Sequence between the 1st HM363753 2,817-2,973 var. Ranger inverted repeats Russet 3′-untranslated sequence of the S. verrucosum Generates (6) double stranded HM363754 2,974-3,117 polyphenol oxidase-5 gene RNA that triggers the (Ppo5) (2nd copy, in sense degradation of Ppo5 orientation) transcripts to block black spot bruise development Fragment of the asparagine S. tuberosum Generates with (5) double HM363759 3,118-3,523 Chawla et synthetase-1 (Asn1) gene (2nd var. Ranger stranded RNA that triggers al. 2012 copy, in sense orientation) Russet the degradation of Asn1 transcripts to impair asparagine formation EcoR1 restriction site S. tuberosum Cloning site AY027522 3,524-3,529 Promoter for the granule-bound S. tuberosum One of the two convergent HM363755 3,530-4,215 starch synthase (pGbss) gene var. Ranger promoters that drives (1st copy, convergent Russet expression of an inverted orientation relative to the 1st repeat containing fragments copy of pAgp) of Asn1 and Ppo5, especially in tubers Spe1 restriction site S. tuberosum Cloning site AY341425 4,216-4,231 pAgp, 2nd copy S. tuberosum One of the two convergent HM363752 4,232-6,491 var. Ranger promoters that drives Russet expression of an inverted repeat containing fragments of the promoters of PhL and R1, especially in tubers Fragment of promoter for the S. tuberosum Generates with (16) double HM363758 6,492-7,000 potato phosphorylase-L (pPhL) var. Ranger stranded RNA that triggers gene (1st copy, in antisense Russet the degradation of PhL orientation) transcripts to limit the formation of reducing sugars through starch degradation Fragment of promoter for the S. tuberosum Generates with (15) double HM363757 7,001-7,532 potato R1 gene (pR1) (1st var. Ranger stranded RNA that triggers copy, in antisense orientation) Russet the degradation of R1 transcripts to limit the formation of reducing sugars through starch degradation Pst1 restriction site S. tuberosum Cloning site AY341425 7,533-7,538 Spacer-2 S. tuberosum Sequence between the 2nd HM363756 7,539-7,796 var. Ranger inverted repeat Russet

The DNA insert described in Table 2 that was used to create potato line E12 of the present invention does not activate adjacent genes and does not adversely affect the phenotype of potato plant variety E12. In addition, the potato plant variety E12 of the invention does not produce novel proteins associated with open reading frames encoded by the DNA insert.

Example 3 The Agrobacterium Strain and Transfection

The C58-derived Agrobacterium strain AGL1 was developed by precisely deleting the transfer DNA of the hyper-virulent plasmid pTiBo542 (Lazo et al., 1991). A transposon insertion in the general recombination gene (recA) stabilizes recombinant plasmid vectors such as pSIM1278 (FIG. 1). AGL1 displays resistance against carbenicillin and rifampicin, and is eliminated from transformed potato tissue using timentin.

Stock plants of the Russett Burbank variety were maintained in magenta boxes with 40 ml half-strength M516 medium containing 3% sucrose and 2 g/l gelrite (propagation medium). Potato internode segments of four to six mm were cut from four-week old plants, infected with the Agrobacterium AGL1 strain carrying pSIM1278, and transferred to tissue culture media containing 3% sucrose and 6 g/l agar (co-cultivation medium). Infected explants were transferred, after two days, to M404 medium containing 3% sucrose, 6 g/l agar and 150 mg/l timentin to eliminate Agrobacterium (hormone-free medium). Details of the methods are described in Richael et al. (2008).

After one month, the infected explants were transferred to fresh medium lacking any synthetic hormones and incubated in a Percival growth chamber under a 16 hr photoperiod at 24° C. where they started to form shoots. Many shoots expressed the ipt gene and displayed a cytokinin overproduction phenotype; these shoots were not considered for further analyses. PCR genotyping demonstrated that about 0.3 to 1.5% of the remaining shoots contained at least part of the P-DNA while lacking the ipt gene. Thus, no markers were used to select for the transformed plants. Details on ipt-based marker-free plant transformation were published by Richael et al. (2008).

The process of eliminating Agrobacterium started two days after explant infection. For this purpose, tissues were subjected to the antibiotic timentin (150 mg/L) until proven to be free of live Agrobacterium. Proof was obtained by incubating stem fragments of transformed events on nutrient broth-yeast extract (NBY medium) for 2 weeks at 28° C. (repeated twice). In accordance with 97 CFR Part 340, transformed plants were transported and planted in the field only when free of live Agrobacterium.

Potato plant variety E12 was analyzed by DNA gel blot analyses to determine the structure and copy number of integrated DNA insert sequences and to confirm the absence of vector backbone sequences. In addition, molecular characterization was used to determine the sequence of the junctions flanking the DNA insert and show stability of the inserted DNA. Sequencing information of the junctions provided the basis for developing specific PCR tests for the intragenic potato plant variety E12. Potato cultivar E12 was found to contain a single complete copy of the DNA insert as deduced from hybridization results when various DNA digests were hybridized with AGP, ASN, PHL and GBS molecular probes.

Example 4 Evidence for the Absence of the Vector Backbone DNA

Unlike many commercial transgenic crops, potato cultivar E12 of the invention was confirmed to be free of Agrobacterium-derived DNA sequences that are used for transformation, such as vector backbone DNA, by three different methods: 1) First, the presence or absence of the negative selectable isopentenyl isomerase (ipt) marker gene in the vector backbone was determined, as inadvertent transfer of backbone DNA comprising the ipt gene expression cassette from Agrobacterium to plant cells would trigger ipt gene expression and, consequently, the formation of the cytokinin-type hormone isopentenyladenosine, 2) Southern blot hybridization was then used on the transformed potato plants that had passed the first screening method to confirm the absence of backbone DNA, and 3) PCR was then designed to amplify fragments indicative of junctions between border regions and flanking backbone DNA or regions within the backbone DNA that flank the DNA insert. The efficiacy of the method was confirmed by using pSIM1278 DNA as a positive control. Potato cultivar E12 of the present invention did not produce PCR bands indicative of the presence of vector backbone DNA.

Example 5 Stability of the Inserted DNA

The stability of DNA inserts was evaluated in the original transformants and again in propagated plant material using both DNA gel blot hybridization and trait evaluation. These studies were carried out to ensure that intragenic events expressed the incorporated traits in a consistent and reliable manner. Instability might be triggered by rare recombination events or could also be caused by methylation. Because potatoes are normally propagated clonally, standard assessments for sexually propagated crops were not directly applicable, and tubers rather than seeds were used to define subsequent generations. Results of DNA blot hybridization demonstrate consistent bands were present in multiple generations, thus indicating stability. Further evidence for stability was obtained by confirming trait efficacy in generations one and two tuber seed.

DNA insert stability was demonstrated in the originally-transformed material (G0) by extracting and evaluating DNA from leaves of plants that had been propagated in vitro and never planted in soil. For generation-1 (G1) analyses, two propagated plants from each intragenic variety and one plant from each control were planted in the greenhouse; one of the tubers harvested from each plant was planted to obtain leaves from G1 plants that were used to isolate DNA and evaluate the G1 generation. Tubers from this generation were planted again, and leaves of the resulting G2 plants allowed a characterization of that generation.

Hybridization of DNA isolated from the Russet Burbank potato cultivar E12 of the present invention with the GBS probe revealed two common bands (7.2 and 8.0-kb) and hybridization with the AGP probe revealed three bands (1.4, 4.2 and 4.9-kb) in all lanes. These bands are indicative of DNA fragments of the unmodified genome. The presence of two additional bands in the DNA isolated from all intragenic material, one 2.2-kb band indicative of an internal DNA insert fragment and the other one representing a DNA insert junction fragment (4.4-kb for E12 with GBS, 2.15-kb for E12 with AGP), indicated that the inserts of the original transformant (G0) remained stable into the first and second vegetative generations G1 and G2.

The catechol assay for Ppo activity provided additional evidence for DNA insert stability in E12 variety, as all E12 tubers remained uncolored (FIG. 3), whereas the untransformed control material was stained. This demonstrated that the variety E12 had retained its ability to silence the Ppo5 gene in G2 tubers, after two years of field trials. Preparation of the field trial material involved repeated tissue culture and vegetative generations without affecting the stability of the inserted genetic material.

Example 6 Junction Analysis and Variety-Specific Detection

At least one DNA insert/flanking plant DNA junction was sequenced using either Adapter Ligation-Mediated PCR or Thermal Asymmetric Interlaced PCR. The junction sequence was used to design primers for potato cultivar E12, and these primers were applied for variety-specific PCR-based detection methods. The methods developed were used to monitor plants and tubers in field and storage to confirm the absence of intragenic material in tubers or processed food, and to ensure the purity of organic seed.

Example 7 Efficacy and Tissue-Specificity of Gene Silencing

Gene silencing methods were employed to lower the activity of the Asn1, Ppo5, PhL, and R1 native proteins, and transcript levels rather than protein amounts were evaluated to link new phenotypic traits to changes at the molecular level.

Since strong silencing of the Asn1 gene involved in ASN (asparagine) formation in leaves and stems might adversely affect growth, the Agp promoter and the Gbss promoter, which are tuber- and stolon-specific promoters and are much less active in photosynthetically-active tissues and roots, were used to drive gene silencing in tubers and stolons. The transcript levels of the four targeted genes in various tissues of plant variety E12 and its untransformed counterpart were determined by Northern blot analysis.

In tubers of untransformed controls, transcript levels were “high” (easily detectable by northern blot hybridization) for the Asn1, PhL, and R1 genes and “low” for the Ppo5 gene. A comparison of northern blots indicated that the Asn1, Ppo5, and PhL were expressed at similar levels in tubers from greenhouse and field. In contrast, the R1 gene was silenced slightly more effectively in greenhouse-grown control tubers than in tubers from the field.

Strongly reduced transcript levels for the Asn1 and Ppo5 genes in tubers of variety E12 were associated with low-acrylamide potential and reduced discoloration associated with black spot bruising.

Transcript levels for the PhL gene were partially reduced in the tubers of line E12. This change was linked to reduced amounts of glucose and fructose. R1 transcripts were partially reduced (“whispered”) in tubers of E12 to help limit the degradation of starch into sugars.

The Asn1, Ppo5 and R1 genes were expressed at low levels in stolons of untransformed plants. In contrast, high transcript levels in the controls were associated with the PhL gene.

The transcript levels for the Asn1 and Ppo5 genes were even lower in stolons from Russet Burbank E12 greenhouse-grown plants than in the control stolons. This modification was expected and is not linked to any undesired or unanticipated new phenotype. Expression of the PhL gene was also down-regulated in the stolons of intragenic variety E12.

The amounts of transcript for the R1 gene were slightly reduced (“whispered”) in stolons of variety E12. This molecular change contributed to the limited degradation of starch into sugars.

In leaf tissues, the transcript levels for the Asn1 gene were similar for line E12 and its untransformed counterpart. The transcript levels for the Ppo5 gene expression were in all cases undetectable, whereas the levels for the PhL gene were consistently high among the original variety Russett Burbank and the transformed derivative E12. The transcript levels for the R1 gene were unaltered in variety E12 when compared to its control.

In stem tissues, Asn1 gene transcript levels were similar for event E12 and its control. The transcript levels for the Ppo5 gene were reduced in the variety E12 of the invention. PhL gene expression was very similar in line E12 and its control and R1 gene expression was not reduced.

In root tissue, transcript levels for both the Asn1 and Ppo5 genes were reduced in variety E12. These results indicated that the promoters used to drive silencing are partially functional in underground tissues.

In floral tissue, the Asn1 gene transcript levels were lower in the variety E12 of the invention than in the original variety Russett Burbank. Transcripts were not detectable for the Ppo5 gene and expression levels of the PhL and R1 genes were similar to controls.

These results demonstrated that the expression levels of the Asn1 and Ppo5 genes were down-regulated in tubers and stolons in potato variety E12, and that the R1 and PhL genes were at least partially silenced in tubers and stolons in variety E12. Silencing was most effective in tubers and stolons.

The selected potato variety E12 was more strongly affected in the expression levels of the Asn1 and Ppo5 genes than in those of the R1 and PhL genes. These results coincided with the inventor's intent of (1) preventing the formation of Ppo protein and free ASN to the greatest extent possible, and (2) only partially blocking the conversion of starch into glucose and fructose.

The occasional changes in transcript levels in tissues other than tubers and stolons demonstrated some leakiness of the tuber/stolon-specific promoter. It is also possible that small RNAs produced in tubers through expression of the silencing cassettes migrate into other tissues, especially roots and stems (Molnar et al., 2010). In most cases of altered expression levels in tissues other than tubers and stolons, the differences were minor. A summary of the down-regulated transcript levels in specific tissues of intragenic potato cultivar E12 is shown in Table 3. In Table 3, A=Asn1, P=Ppo5, L=PhL, and R=R1. Underlined letters in Table 3 indicate strongly (>2-fold) down-regulated gene expression levels; expression levels are otherwise down-regulated by less than 2-fold.

TABLE 3 Variety Tubers Stolons Roots Stems Leaves Flowers E12 A P L R A P R A P P L R A

Example 8 Field Performance and Tuber Evaluation

The 2009, 2010, and 2011 trials were planted mechanically to facilitate harvests and ensure that intragenic potatoes were kept separate from unmodified material. For the 2009 evaluations, “nuclear seed” minitubers from each event and the control varieties were used to plant four or five single-row plots (20 minitubers/plot) whereby the plots were randomly distributed within blocks across the field. This randomized complete block design (RCB) is typical for the evaluation of new potato varieties and events. The approach taken in 2010 and 2011 was to use three random plots per event and control per site, also using the RCB design with the number or replications (plots per event) equal to the number of blocks. Each plot in 2010 consisted of three rows of 20 seed pieces each from first generation (G1) tubers produced in Cherry County, Nebr., in 2009 for Russet Burbank. The Russet Burbank seed for the 2011 trials was second generation (G2) produced in Cherry County, Nebr. in 2010. In all trials, the seed of the intragenic line was handled similar to its unmodified control. Field grown tubers are desirable over minitubers as seed because they generate more vigorous and uniform plants that produce higher tuber yield and quality.

Each plot was evaluated qualitatively, in some cases using standardized monitoring scales, for differential responses to insect, disease, and environmental stresses that were not induced artificially but might occur spontaneously during the growing season. Mid-season monitoring was conducted 2009, 2010, and 2011 just prior to or during early row closure and flowering (June-July for most trails except for the Florida trials, which were evaluated in April), to assess plant vigor, leaf color, leaf size, leaf curl, disease symptoms (presence/absence), and insect-associated plant damage. In 2011, specific insects, diseases, and abiotic stressors common to the growing region were evaluated. Disease and insect pressure are generally highest during the mid and late season, but the plants were monitored for symptoms caused by pathogens and insects from July to September (March through May for Florida trials). Late season monitoring of vine maturity and diseases was performed once prior to vine killing, a process intended to ensure tuber maturation and late-season skin set. Vine killing is induced either by mowing or flailing the vines or by using approved herbicides such as Reglone according to the manufacturer's recommendations (JR Johnson, Roseville, Minn.). At this time, plants were also assessed for disease symptoms and insect damage. In some cases when disease symptoms were identified, a sprout test was also conducted to confirm the findings.

Means, standard deviations, and 90% confidence intervals were calculated using JMP 9.0.2. A conventional varieties range was generated by obtaining the minimum and maximum mean values (year*location*entry) of all conventional varieties included in the experiments. All characteristics for the Russett varieties were analyzed in JMP 9.0.2 by combining data from multiple years and locations.

Example 9 Potato Cultivar E12 Characterization Summary

Potato variety E12 addresses the need of the potato industry to improve quality by reducing expression of the enzyme responsible for black spot bruise and to reduce acrylamide through lowering the concentration of the reactants, namely asparagine and reducing sugars. Potato variety E12 was transformed with nucleic acid sequences that are native to the potato plant genome and does not contain foreign DNA, Agrobacterium DNA, viral markers or vector backbone sequences In addition, agronomic studies were conducted to ensure that the events grew the same as conventional controls, with the exception of the characteristics associated with the trait

Agronomic Characterisics

Evaluations of agronomic characteristics of potato variety E12 event and control grown in 2009, 2010, and 2011 are shown in Tables 4-7. Results were analyzed by statistical methods where possible. Overall the data suggest that there are no major differences between the Russet Burbank control and the E12 Russet Burbank event.

Table 4 shows the number of site years for each characteristic tested for variety E12. The agronomic characteristics for E12 and the Burbank control are shown in Table 5. No statistically significant differences were detected between E12 and the control for seven of the agronomic characteristics. Vine maturity rating data were not able to be statistically compared and the observed value of E12 was outside the combined conventional varieties range (3.65 vs. 3.00-3.50, respectively). A statistically significant difference was detected between E12 and the control for plant vigor (3.38 vs. 3.08); however, the value of E12 was within the conventional varieties range. In Table 5, the stems per plant data is from 2011 only; conventional varieties (ConV) range equals a range of mean values of conventional Ranger, Burbank and Atlantic varieties; NA means that a statistical comparison was not possible.

The yield and grading characteristics of E12 and the Burbank control are shown in Table 6. There were no statistically significant differences detected for total yield, specific gravity, high sugar, or sugar end. Statistical analysis was not possible for total internal defects but the values for E12 were within the conventional varieties range. Four differences were detected between E12 and the control for the 4-6 oz. category (25.3 vs. 21.5), the 6-10 oz. category (33.1 vs. 30.3), the 10-14 oz. category (12.6 vs. 16.2), and the >14 oz. category (8.9 vs. 13.1). All values for E12 for these differences were within the conventional varieties range. In Table 6, the specific gravity data is from 2011 only; conventional varieties (ConV) range equals a range of mean values of conventional Ranger and Burbank varieties; NA means that a statistical comparison was not possible.

The flower colors of E12 and the Burbank control are shown in Table 7. Both purple/mixed flowers and white flowers were observed in different plots for each entry.

TABLE 4 Number of Site Years Characteristic Event E12 Early Emergence 4 Final Emergence 13  Stems Per Plant 4 Plant Vigor 8-11 Foliage Color 8-11 Leaflet Size 8-11 Leaflet Curl 8-11 Senescence 3 Vine Maturity Rating 7 Flower Color 2-4  Total Yield 11   %4-6 oz. 9-10  %6-10 oz. 9-10 %10-14 oz. 9-10  % > 14 oz. 9-10 Specific Gravity 9-10 High Sugar 9-10 Sugar Ends 9-10 Total Internal Defects 9-10

TABLE 5 Commercial Character- Burbank Reference istic Statistic E12 Ctrl Range Early Mean 0.807 0.804    7.0-100.0 Emergence SD 0.227 0.215 90% CI   70.0-91.5%   70.2-90.5% p-Value 0.9367 Final Mean 0.937 0.944   79.0-100.0 Emergence SD 0.088 0.079 90% CI   91.1-96.2%   92.1-96.7% p-Value 0.6269 Stems Per Mean 2.8 2.7 1.6-5 Plant SD 0.61 0.5 90% CI 2.52-3.16 2.41-2.93 p-Value 0.22 Plant Vigor Mean 3.4 3.1  2.3-4.3 SD 0.6 0.35 90% CI 3.22-3.55 2.98-3.17 p-Value 0.0096 Foliage Mean 3.2 3.1 2.3-4 Color SD 0.38 0.27 90% CI 3.05-3.26 3.00-3.15 p-Value 0.1812 Leaflet Size Mean 3 2.9 2.0-3 SD 0.24 0.27 90% CI 2.95-3.08 2.85-3.00 p-Value 0.0815 Leaflet Curl Mean 2.3 2.2 1.0-3 SD 0.95 0.99 90% CI 2.05-2.56 1.96-2.50 p-Value 0.2051 Senescence Mean 49.4 53.9   8.7-91.7 SD 36.27 36.04 90% CI 26.96-71.92 31.55-76.23 p-Value 0.1013 Vine Mean 3.7 3.1  2.3-4.5 Maturity SD 0.9 0.31 Rating 90% CI 3.33-3.97 2.95-3.18 p-Value NA

TABLE 6 Commercial Character- Burbank Reference istic Statistic E12 Ctrl Range Total Yield Mean 53.2 56.8 26.0-107.7 SD 21.8 20.9 90% CI 46.3-60.0 50.5-63.2 p-Value 0.2079  4-6 oz Mean 25.3 21.5 2.3-32.2 SD 9.4 8.4 90% CI 21.4-29.1 18.1-25.0 p-Value 0.0061  6-10 oz Mean 33.1 30.3 8.8-51.6 SD 7.2 8 90% CI 30.1-36.1 27.0-33.6 p-Value 0.0434 10-14 oz Mean 12.6 16.2 6.7-31.7 SD 6.6 7.3 90% CI  9.9-15.3 13.2-19.1 p-Value 0.0431   >14 oz Mean 8.9 13.1 0.0-59.3 SD 8.9 9.9 90% CI  5.3-12.6  9.0-17.2 p-Value 0.0077 Specific Gravity Mean 1.082 1.084 1.071-1.112  SD 0.008 0.007 90% CI 1.079-1.085 1.081-1.087 p-Value 0.1048 High Sugar Mean 12.3 8.2 0.0-36.1 SD 27.7 13.9 90% CI  0.9-23.6  2.4-13.9 p-Value 0.4455 Sugar Ends Mean 18 21.4 0.0-70.3 SD 15.4 21.4 90% CI 11.6-24.3 12.6-30.2 p-Value 0.3789 Total Internal Mean 0.3 0.3 0.0-0.7  Defects SD 0.8 0.7 90% CI 0.0-0.7 0.0-0.7 p-Value NA

TABLE 7 Number of Plots Purple or White Entry Mixed Flowers Flowers E12 3 5 Burbank Ctrl 3 8

Based on the data presented in Tables 4-7 for potato cultivar E12, it can be concluded that there are no major differences in agronomic characteristics, flower color, yield and grading, and ecological interactions between the untransformed Russet Burbank variety and potato cultivar E12. Therefore, based on the multi-year data, the Ranger Russet variety E12 poses no significant risk of persistence in the environment as a result of weediness or plant pest potential.

Black Spot Bruise Tolerance

Black spot bruise is a discoloration affecting bruised tubers that represents one of the most important quality issues for the potato industry. The condition is a result of leakage of polyphenol oxidase (Ppo) from damaged plastids into the cytoplasm. In the cytoplasm, the enzyme oxidizes polyphenol, which then form dark precipitants. One of the two silencing cassettes of the pSIM1278 DNA insert contains two copies of a fragment of the Ppo5 gene from Solanum verrucosum positioned as inverted repeat between regulatory elements. Expression of this inverted repeat triggers silencing of the potato Ppo5 gene and significantly reduces the incidence of black spot bruise.

Field-grown tubers of potato cultivar E12 and a control Russet Burbank variety, which is susceptible to black spot bruise, were assayed in two ways for black spot bruise tolerance.

Tuber discoloration is caused by the activity of polyphenol oxidase, which oxidizes phenols including catechol to produce compounds that rapidly polymerize to produce pigments. An indirect method to test for black spot bruise tolerance is based on pipetting 1-ml catechol (25 mM in 50 mM MOPS, pH6.5) onto the cut surfaces of tubers and monitoring for the Ppo-dependent development of a dark brown precipitate. The Ppo-dependent development of a dark brown precipitate was assessed after 20 min. Tubers of Russet Burbank controls and variety E12 were harvested from three different plants that grew in Canyon County, Id., in 2009. The results of the catechol assay for potato cultivar E12 are shown in FIG. 3. As seen in FIG. 3, the Russet Burbank control turned dark brown indicating black spot bruise, whereas potato cultivar E12 did not turn dark brown indicating that E12 is more resistant to black spot bruise than the untransformed Russet Burbank control.

The second method of assaying for bruise tolerance was by treating nine tubers of each control and potato cultivar E12 harvested in 2009 from Canyon County, Id., to 10 revolutions in a bruise barrel (rotating drum), incubating at room temperature for 3 days, followed by peeling mechanically, and then counting the number of both black spot bruise and lineshatter (shatter bruise) spots. Table 8 shows the results and are presented as the means of the results of three experiments, and the error bars shown represent the standard error of the mean. Significance was determined using the Student's two-tailed t-test (p<0.05).

TABLE 8 No. of bruises Difference from control Variety per tuber (P-value) Russet Burbank control 0.50 ± 0.79 Russet Burbank E12 0.00 ± 0.00 P = 0.0107

As shown in Table 8, the barrel bruise test indicated undetectable black spot bruise levels in potato E12 of the present invention. These results show that the tubers of variety E12 are more resistant to black spot bruise than the tubers of untransformed control Russet Burbank variety, and that the DNA insert of pSIM1278 results in reduced impact-induced discoloration associated with black spot bruising.

Asparagine and Acrylamide Levels

Silencing of the asparagine synthetase gene resulted in average reductions of 74% free asparagine in potato variety E12. The lower levels of asparagine, which combines with reducing sugars in the Maillard reaction to form acrylamide, result in average reductions of 67% acrylamide in fries. The differences in asparagine and acrylamide between the Russet Burbank control and potato E12 are shown in Table 9. Before testing for acrylamide, the control and E12 were made into French fries. All results were from tubers analyzed near the time of harvest.

TABLE 9 Free Percent Percent Asparagine Reduction Acrylamide Reduction Variety (ppm) from Control (ppb) from Control Burbank 2421  0% 493.8  0% Control E12 618.2 74% 162.4 67%

Potato cultivar E12 is a Russet Burbank variety with improved quality that has reduced expression of the enzyme responsible for black spot bruise and reduced acrylamide levels.

Further Embodiments of the Invention

The research leading to potato varieties which combine the advantageous characteristics referred to above is largely empirical. This research requires large investments of time, labor, and money. The development of a potato cultivar can often take up to eight years or more from greenhouse to commercial usage. Breeding begins with careful selection of superior parents to incorporate the most important characteristics into the progeny. Since all desired traits usually do not appear with just one cross, breeding must be cumulative.

Present breeding techniques continue with the controlled pollination of parental clones. Typically, pollen is collected in gelatin capsules for later use in pollinating the female parents. Hybrid seeds are sown in greenhouses and tubers are harvested and retained from thousands of individual seedlings. The next year one to four tubers from each resulting seedling are planted in the field, where extreme caution is exercised to avoid the spread of virus and diseases. From this first-year seedling crop, several “seed” tubers from each hybrid individual which survived the selection process are retained for the next year's planting. After the second year, samples are taken for density measurements and fry tests to determine the suitability of the tubers for commercial usage. Plants which have survived the selection process to this point are then planted at an expanded volume the third year for a more comprehensive series of fry tests and density determinations. At the fourth-year stage of development, surviving selections are subjected to field trials in several states to determine their adaptability to different growing conditions. Eventually, the varieties having superior qualities are transferred to other farms and the seed increased to commercial scale. Generally, by this time, eight or more years of planting, harvesting and testing have been invested in attempting to develop the new and improved potato cultivars.

With the advent of molecular biological techniques that have allowed the isolation and characterization of genes that encode specific protein products, scientists in the field of plant biology developed a strong interest in engineering the genome of plants to contain and express foreign genes, or additional, or modified versions of native, or endogenous, genes (perhaps driven by different promoters) in order to alter the traits of a plant in a specific manner. Such foreign additional and/or modified genes are referred to herein collectively as “transgenes”. Over the last fifteen to twenty years several methods for producing transgenic plants have been developed, and the present invention, in particular embodiments, also relates to transformed versions of the claimed variety or line.

Plant transformation involves the construction of an expression vector which will function in plant cells. Such a vector comprises DNA comprising a gene under control of, or operatively linked to, a regulatory element (for example, a promoter). The expression vector may contain one or more such operably linked gene/regulatory element combinations. The vector(s) may be in the form of a plasmid, and can be used alone or in combination with other plasmids, to provide transformed potato plants, using transformation methods as described below to incorporate transgenes into the genetic material of the potato plant(s).

Traditional plant breeding typically relies on the random recombination of plant chromosomes to create varieties that have new and improved characteristics. According to standard, well-known techniques, genetic “expression cassettes,” comprising genes and regulatory elements, are inserted within the borders of Agrobacterium-isolated transfer DNAs (“T-DNAs”) and integrated into plant genomes. Agrobacterium-mediated transfer of T-DNA material typically comprises the following standard procedures: (1) in vitro recombination of genetic elements, at least one of which is of foreign origin, to produce an expression cassette for selection of transformation, (2) insertion of this expression cassette, often together with at least one other expression cassette containing foreign DNA, into a T-DNA region of a binary vector, which usually consists of several hundreds of basepairs of Agrobacterium DNA flanked by T-DNA border sequences, (3) transfer of the sequences located between the T-DNA borders, often accompanied with some or all of the additional binary vector sequences from Agrobacterium to the plant cell, and (4) selection of stably transformed plant cells that display a desired trait, such as an increase in yield, improved vigor, enhanced resistance to diseases and insects, or greater ability to survive under stress.

Thus, genetic engineering methods rely on the introduction of foreign, not-indigenous nucleic acids, including regulatory elements such as promoters and terminators, and genes that are involved in the expression of a new trait or function as markers for identification and selection of transformants, from viruses, bacteria and plants. Marker genes are typically derived from bacterial sources and confer antibiotic or herbicide resistance. Classical breeding methods are laborious and time-consuming, and new varieties typically display only relatively modest improvements.

In the “anti-sense” technology, the sequence of native genes is inverted to silence the expression of the gene in transgenic plants. However, the inverted DNA usually contains new and uncharacterized open reading frames inserted between the promoter and the terminator that encode foreign amino acid sequences that may be undesirable as they interfere with plant development and/or reduce their nutritional value.

Expression Vectors for Potato Transformation: Marker Genes

Expression vectors include at least one genetic marker, operably linked to a regulatory element (a promoter, for example) that allows transformed cells containing the marker to be either recovered by negative selection, i.e., inhibiting growth of cells that do not contain the selectable marker gene, or by positive selection, i.e., screening for the product encoded by the genetic marker. Many commonly used selectable marker genes for plant transformation are well known in the transformation arts, and include, for example, genes that code for enzymes that metabolically detoxify a selective chemical agent which may be an antibiotic or an herbicide, or genes that encode an altered target which is insensitive to the inhibitor. A few positive selection methods are also known in the art.

One commonly used selectable marker gene for plant transformation is the neomycin phosphotransferase II (nptII) gene which, when under the control of plant regulatory signals, confers resistance to kanamycin. Fraley et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A., 80:4803 (1983). Another commonly used selectable marker gene is the hygromycin phosphotransferase gene which confers resistance to the antibiotic hygromycin. Vanden Elzen et al., Plant Mol. Biol., 5:299 (1985).

Additional selectable marker genes of bacterial origin that confer resistance to antibiotics include gentamycin acetyl transferase, streptomycin phosphotransferase and aminoglycoside-3′-adenyl transferase, the bleomycin resistance determinant. Hayford et al., Plant Physiol. 86:1216 (1988), Jones et al., Mol. Gen. Genet., 210:86 (1987), Svab et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 14:197 (1990) Hille et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 7:171 (1986). Other selectable marker genes confer resistance to herbicides such as glyphosate, glufosinate or bromoxynil. Comai et al., Nature 317:741-744 (1985), Gordon-Kamm et al., Plant Cell 2:603-618 (1990) and Stalker et al., Science 242:419-423 (1988).

Selectable marker genes for plant transformation not of bacterial origin include, for example, mouse dihydrofolate reductase, plant 5-enolpyruvylshikimate-3-phosphate synthase and plant acetolactate synthase. Eichholtz et al., Somatic Cell Mol. Genet. 13:67 (1987), Shah et al., Science 233:478 (1986), Charest et al., Plant Cell Rep. 8:643 (1990).

Another class of marker genes for plant transformation requires screening of presumptively transformed plant cells rather than direct genetic selection of transformed cells for resistance to a toxic substance such as an antibiotic. These genes are particularly useful to quantify or visualize the spatial pattern of expression of a gene in specific tissues and are frequently referred to as reporter genes because they can be fused to a gene or gene regulatory sequence for the investigation of gene expression. Commonly used genes for screening presumptively transformed cells include β-glucuronidase (GUS), β-galactosidase, luciferase and chloramphenicol acetyltransferase. Jefferson, R. A., Plant Mol. Biol. Rep. 5:387 (1987), Teeri et al., EMBO J. 8:343 (1989), Koncz et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:131 (1987), DeBlock et al., EMBO J. 3:1681 (1984).

In vivo methods for visualizing GUS activity that do not require destruction of plant tissue are available. Molecular Probes publication 2908, IMAGENE GREEN, p. 1-4 (1993) and Naleway et al., J. Cell Biol. 115:151a (1991). However, these in vivo methods for visualizing GUS activity have not proven useful for recovery of transformed cells because of low sensitivity, high fluorescent backgrounds and limitations associated with the use of luciferase genes as selectable markers.

More recently, a gene encoding Green Fluorescent Protein (GFP) has been utilized as a marker for gene expression in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells. Chalfie et al., Science 263:802 (1994). GFP and mutants of GFP may be used as screenable markers.

Expression Vectors for Potato Transformation: Promoters

Genes included in expression vectors must be driven by a nucleotide sequence comprising a regulatory element, for example, a promoter. Several types of promoters are well known in the transformation arts as are other regulatory elements that can be used alone or in combination with promoters.

As used herein, “promoter” includes reference to a region of DNA upstream from the start of transcription and involved in recognition and binding of RNA polymerase and other proteins to initiate transcription. A “plant promoter” is a promoter capable of initiating transcription in plant cells. Examples of promoters under developmental control include promoters that preferentially initiate transcription in certain tissues, such as leaves, roots, seeds, fibers, xylem vessels, tracheids, or sclerenchyma. Such promoters are referred to as “tissue-preferred”. Promoters that initiate transcription only in a certain tissue are referred to as “tissue-specific”. A “cell-type” specific promoter primarily drives expression in certain cell types in one or more organs, for example, vascular cells in roots or leaves. An “inducible” promoter is a promoter which is under environmental control. Examples of environmental conditions that may effect transcription by inducible promoters include anaerobic conditions or the presence of light. Tissue-specific, tissue-preferred, cell type specific, and inducible promoters constitute the class of “non-constitutive” promoters. A “constitutive” promoter is a promoter that is active under most environmental conditions.

A. Inducible Promoters

An inducible promoter is operably linked to a gene for expression in potato. Optionally, the inducible promoter is operably linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a signal sequence which is operably linked to a gene for expression in potato. With an inducible promoter the rate of transcription increases in response to an inducing agent.

Any inducible promoter can be used in the instant invention. See Ward et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 22:361-366 (1993). Exemplary inducible promoters include, but are not limited to, that from the ACEI system which responds to copper (Mett et al., PNAS 90:4567-4571 (1993)); In2 gene from maize which responds to benzenesulfonamide herbicide safeners (Hershey et al., Mol. Gen. Genetics 227:229-237 (1991) and Gatz et al., Mol. Gen. Genetics 243:32-38 (1994)) or Tet repressor from Tn10 (Gatz et al., Mol. Gen. Genetics 227:229-237 (1991)). A particularly preferred inducible promoter is a promoter that responds to an inducing agent to which plants do not normally respond. An exemplary inducible promoter is the inducible promoter from a steroid hormone gene, the transcriptional activity of which is induced by a glucocorticosteroid hormone. Schena et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 88:0421 (1991).

B. Constitutive Promoters

A constitutive promoter is operably linked to a gene for expression in potato or the constitutive promoter is operably linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a signal sequence which is operably linked to a gene for expression in potato.

Many different constitutive promoters can be utilized in the instant invention. Exemplary constitutive promoters include, but are not limited to, the promoters from plant viruses such as the 35S promoter from CaMV (Odell et al., Nature 313:810-812 (1985)) and the promoters from such genes as rice actin (McElroy et al., Plant Cell 2: 163-171 (1990)); ubiquitin (Christensen et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 12:619-632 (1989) and Christensen et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 18:675-689 (1992)); pEMU (Last et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 81:581-588 (1991)); MAS (Velten et al., EMBO J. 3:2723-2730 (1984)) and maize H3 histone (Lepetit et al., Mol. Gen. Genetics 231:276-285 (1992) and Atanassova et al., Plant Journal 2 (3): 291-300 (1992)).

The ALS promoter, Xba1/Nco1 fragment 5′ to the Brassica napus ALS3 structural gene (or a nucleotide sequence similarity to said Xba1/Nco1 fragment), represents a particularly useful constitutive promoter. See PCT application WO 96/30530.

C. Tissue-Specific or Tissue-Preferred Promoters

A tissue-specific promoter is operably linked to a gene for expression in potato. Optionally, the tissue-specific promoter is operably linked to a nucleotide sequence encoding a signal sequence which is operably linked to a gene for expression in potato. Plants transformed with a gene of interest operably linked to a tissue-specific promoter produce the protein product of the transgene exclusively, or preferentially, in a specific tissue.

Any tissue-specific or tissue-preferred promoter can be utilized in the instant invention. Exemplary tissue-specific or tissue-preferred promoters include, but are not limited to, a root-preferred promoter—such as that from the phaseolin gene (Murai et al., Science 23:476-482 (1983) and Sengupta-Gopalan et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 82:3320-3324 (1985)); a leaf-specific and light-induced promoter such as that from cab or rubisco (Simpson et al., EMBO J. 4(11):2723-2729 (1985) and Timko et al., Nature 318:579-582 (1985)); an anther-specific promoter such as that from LAT52 (Twell et al., Mol. Gen. Genetics 217:240-245 (1989)); a pollen-specific promoter such as that from Zm13 (Guerrero et al., Mol. Gen. Genetics 244:161-168 (1993)) or a microspore-preferred promoter such as that from apg (Twell et al., Sex. Plant Reprod. 6:217-224 (1993)).

Signal Sequences for Targeting Proteins to Subcellular Compartments

Transport of protein produced by transgenes to a subcellular compartment such as the chloroplast, vacuole, peroxisome, glyoxysome, cell wall or mitochondrion or for secretion into the apoplast, is accomplished by means of operably linking the nucleotide sequence encoding a signal sequence to the 5′ and/or 3′ region of a gene encoding the protein of interest. Targeting sequences at the 5′ and/or 3′ end of the structural gene may determine, during protein synthesis and processing, where the encoded protein is ultimately compartmentalized.

The presence of a signal sequence directs a polypeptide to either an intracellular organelle or subcellular compartment or for secretion to the apoplast. Many signal sequences are known in the art. See, for example, Becker et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 20:49 (1992); Close, P. S., Master's Thesis, Iowa State University (1993); Knox, C., et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 9:3-17 (1987); Lerner et al., Plant Physiol. 91:124-129 (1989); Frontes et al., Plant Cell 3:483-496 (1991); Matsuoka et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. 88:834 (1991); Gould et al., J. Cell. Biol. 108:1657 (1989); Creissen et al., Plant J. 2:129 (1991); Kalderon, et al., Cell 39:499-509 (1984); Steifel, et al., Plant Cell 2:785-793 (1990).

Foreign Protein Genes and Agronomic Genes

With transgenic plants according to the present invention, a foreign protein can be produced in commercial quantities. Thus, techniques for the selection and propagation of transformed plants, which are well understood in the art, yield a plurality of transgenic plants which are harvested in a conventional manner, and a foreign protein then can be extracted from a tissue of interest or from total biomass. Protein extraction from plant biomass can be accomplished by known methods which are discussed, for example, by Heney and Orr, Anal. Biochem. 114:92-6 (1981).

According to a preferred embodiment, the transgenic plant provided for commercial production of foreign protein is a potato plant. In another preferred embodiment, the biomass of interest is seed or tubers. For the relatively small number of transgenic plants that show higher levels of expression, a genetic map can be generated, primarily via conventional RFLP, PCR and SSR analysis, which identifies the approximate chromosomal location of the integrated DNA molecule. For exemplary methodologies in this regard, see Glick and Thompson, Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology CRC Press, Boca Raton 269:284 (1993). Map information concerning chromosomal location is useful for proprietary protection of a subject transgenic plant. If unauthorized propagation is undertaken and crosses made with other germplasm, the map of the integration region can be compared to similar maps for suspect plants, to determine if the latter have a common parentage with the subject plant. Map comparisons would involve hybridizations, RFLP, PCR, SSR and sequencing, all of which are conventional techniques.

Likewise, by means of the present invention, agronomic genes can be expressed in transformed plants. More particularly, plants can be genetically engineered to express various phenotypes of agronomic interest. Exemplary genes implicated in this regard include, but are not limited to, those categorized below:

1. Genes that Confer Resistance to Pests or Disease and that Encode:

A. Plant disease resistance genes. Plant defenses are often activated by specific interaction between the product of a disease resistance gene (R) in the plant and the product of a corresponding avirulence (Avr) gene in the pathogen. A plant variety can be transformed with cloned resistance gene(s) to engineer plants that are resistant to specific pathogen strains. See, for example Jones et al., Science 266:789 (1994) (cloning of the tomato Cf-9 gene for resistance to Cladosporium fulvum); Martin et al., Science 262:1432 (1993) (tomato Pto gene for resistance to Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato encodes a protein kinase); Mindrinos et al. Cell 78:1089 (1994) (Arabidopsis RSP2 gene for resistance to Pseudomonas syringae).

B. A gene conferring resistance to a pest, such as soybean cyst nematode. See e.g., PCT Application WO 96/30517; PCT Application WO 93/19181.

C. A Bacillus thuringiensis protein, a derivative thereof or a synthetic polypeptide modeled thereon. See, for example, Geiser et al., Gene 48:109 (1986), who disclose the cloning and nucleotide sequence of a Bt δ-endotoxin gene. Moreover, DNA molecules encoding δ-endotoxin genes can be purchased from American Type Culture Collection, Manassas, Va., for example, under ATCC Accession Nos. 40098, 67136, 31995 and 31998.

D. A lectin. See, for example, Van Damme et al., Plant Molec. Biol. 24:25 (1994), who disclose the nucleotide sequences of several Clivia miniata mannose-binding lectin genes.

E. A vitamin-binding protein such as avidin. See PCT application US 93/06487 which teaches the use of avidin and avidin homologs as larvicides against insect pests.

F. An enzyme inhibitor, for example, a protease or proteinase inhibitor or an amylase inhibitor. See, for example, Abe et al., J. Biol. Chem. 262:16793 (1987) (nucleotide sequence of rice cysteine proteinase inhibitor), Huub et al., Plant Molec. Biol. 21:985 (1993) (nucleotide sequence of cDNA encoding tobacco proteinase inhibitor I), Sumitani et al., Biosci. Biotech. Biochem. 57:1243 (1993) (nucleotide sequence of Streptomyces nitrosporeus α-amylase inhibitor) and U.S. Pat. No. 5,494,813 (Hepher and Atkinson, issued Feb. 27, 1996).

G. An insect-specific hormone or pheromone such as an ecdysteroid or juvenile hormone, a variant thereof, a mimetic based thereon, or an antagonist or agonist thereof. See, for example, the disclosure by Hammock et al., Nature 344:458 (1990), of baculovirus expression of cloned juvenile hormone esterase, an inactivator of juvenile hormone.

H. An insect-specific peptide or neuropeptide which, upon expression, disrupts the physiology of the affected pest. For example, see the disclosures of Regan, J. Biol. Chem. 269:9 (1994) (expression cloning yields DNA coding for insect diuretic hormone receptor), and Pratt et al., Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comm. 163:1243 (1989) (an allostatin is identified in Diploptera puntata). See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,266,317 to Tomalski et al., who disclose genes encoding insect-specific, paralytic neurotoxins.

I. An insect-specific venom produced in nature by a snake, a wasp, etc. For example, see Pang et al., Gene 116:165 (1992), for disclosure of heterologous expression in plants of a gene coding for a scorpion insectotoxic peptide.

J. An enzyme responsible for a hyperaccumulation of a monoterpene, a sesquiterpene, a steroid, hydroxamic acid, a phenylpropanoid derivative or another non-protein molecule with insecticidal activity.

K. An enzyme involved in the modification, including the post-translational modification, of a biologically active molecule; for example, a glycolytic enzyme, a proteolytic enzyme, a lipolytic enzyme, a nuclease, a cyclase, a transaminase, an esterase, a hydrolase, a phosphatase, a kinase, a phosphorylase, a polymerase, an elastase, a chitinase and a glucanase, whether natural or synthetic. See PCT application WO 93/02197 (Scott et al.), which discloses the nucleotide sequence of a callase gene. DNA molecules which contain chitinase-encoding sequences can be obtained, for example, from the ATCC under Accession Nos. 39637 and 67152. See also Kramer et al., Insect Biochem. Molec. Biol. 23:691 (1993), who teach the nucleotide sequence of a cDNA encoding tobacco hornworm chitinase, and Kawalleck et al., Plant Molec. Biol. 21:673 (1993), who provide the nucleotide sequence of the parsley ubi4-2 polyubiquitin gene.

L. A molecule that stimulates signal transduction. For example, see the disclosure by Botella et al., Plant Molec. Biol. 24:757 (1994), of nucleotide sequences for mung bean calmodulin cDNA clones, and Griess et al., Plant Physiol. 104:1467 (1994), who provide the nucleotide sequence of a maize calmodulin cDNA clone.

M. A hydrophobic moment peptide. See PCT application WO 95/16776, which discloses peptide derivatives of Tachyplesin which inhibit fungal plant pathogens, and PCT application WO 95/18855 which teaches synthetic antimicrobial peptides that confer disease resistance.

N. A membrane permease, a channel former or a channel blocker. For example, see the disclosure of Jaynes et al., Plant Sci 89:43 (1993), of heterologous expression of a cecropin-βlytic peptide analog to render transgenic tobacco plants resistant to Pseudomonas solanacearum.

O. A viral-invasive protein or a complex toxin derived therefrom. For example, the accumulation of viral coat proteins in transformed plant cells imparts resistance to viral infection and/or disease development effected by the virus from which the coat protein gene is derived, as well as by related viruses. See Beachy et al., Ann. Rev. Phytopathol. 28:451 (1990). Coat protein-mediated resistance has been conferred upon transformed plants against alfalfa mosaic virus, cucumber mosaic virus and tobacco mosaic virus.

P. An insect-specific antibody or an immunotoxin derived therefrom. Thus, an antibody targeted to a critical metabolic function in the insect gut would inactivate an affected enzyme, killing the insect. Cf Taylor et al., Abstract #497, Seventh Int'l Symposium on Molecular Plant-Microbe Interactions (Edinburgh, Scotland) (1994) (enzymatic inactivation in transgenic tobacco via production of single-chain antibody fragments).

Q. A virus-specific antibody. See, for example, Tavladoraki et al., Nature 366:469 (1993), who show that transgenic plants expressing recombinant antibody genes are protected from virus attack.

R. A developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a pathogen or a parasite. Thus, fungal endo-α-1, 4-D-polygalacturonases facilitate fungal colonization and plant nutrient release by solubilizing plant cell wall homo-α-1, 4-D-galacturonase. See Lamb et al., Bio/Technology 10:1436 (1992). The cloning and characterization of a gene which encodes a bean endopolygalacturonase-inhibiting protein is described by Toubart et al., Plant J. 2:367 (1992).

S. A developmental-arrestive protein produced in nature by a plant. For example, Logemann et al., Bio/Technology 10:305 (1992), have shown that transgenic plants expressing the barley ribosome-inactivating gene have an increased resistance to fungal disease.

T. Genes involved in the Systemic Acquired Resistance (SAR) Response and/or the pathogenesis-related genes. Briggs, S. Current Biology, 5(2) (1995).

U. Antifungal genes. See Cornelissen and Melchers, Plant Physiol., 101:709-712 (1993); Parijs et al., Planta 183:258-264 (1991) and Bushnell et al., Can. J. of Plant Path. 20(2):137-149 (1998).

V. Genes that confer resistance to Phytophthora blight, such as the R1, R2, R3, R4 and other resistance genes. See, Naess, S. K., et. al., (2000) Resistance to late blight in Solanum bulbocastanum is mapped to chromosome 8. Theor. Appl. Genet. 101: 697-704 and Li, X., et. al., (1998) Autotetraploids and genetic mapping using common AFLP markers: the R2 allele conferring resistance to Phytophthora infestans mapped on potato chromosome 4. Theor. Appl. Genet. 96: 1121-1128.

2. Genes that Confer Resistance to an Herbicide, for Example:

A. An herbicide that inhibits the growing point or meristem, such as an imidazolinone or a sulfonylurea. Exemplary genes in this category code for mutant ALS and AHAS enzyme as described, for example, by Lee et al., EMBO J. 7:1241 (1988), and Miki et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 80:449 (1990), respectively.

B. Glyphosate (resistance impaired by mutant 5-enolpyruvlshikimate-3-phosphate synthase (EPSP) and aroA genes, respectively) and other phosphono compounds such as glufosinate (phosphinothricin acetyl transferase (PAT) and Streptomyces hygroscopicus PAT bar genes), and pyridinoxy or phenoxy proprionic acids and cyclohexones (ACCase inhibitor-encoding genes). See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 4,940,835 to Shah, et al., which discloses the nucleotide sequence of a form of EPSP which can confer glyphosate resistance. A DNA molecule encoding a mutant aroA gene can be obtained under ATCC accession number 39256, and the nucleotide sequence of the mutant gene is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,061 to Comai. European patent application No. 0 333 033 to Kumada et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,975,374 to Goodman et al., disclose nucleotide sequences of glutamine synthetase genes which confer resistance to herbicides such as L-phosphinothricin. The nucleotide sequence of a PAT gene is provided in European application No. 0 242 246 to Leemans et al. DeGreef et al., Bio/Technology 7:61 (1989) describe the production of transgenic plants that express chimeric bar genes coding for phosphinothricin acetyl transferase activity. Exemplary of genes conferring resistance to phenoxy proprionic acids and cyclohexones, such as sethoxydim and haloxyfop are the Acc1-S1, Acc1-S2, and Acc2-S3 genes described by Marshall et al., Theor. Appl. Genet. 83:435 (1992).

C. An herbicide that inhibits photosynthesis, such as a triazine (psbA and gs+ genes) or a benzonitrile (nitrilase gene). Przibila et al., Plant Cell 3:169 (1991), describe the transformation of Chlamydomonas with plasmids encoding mutant psbA genes. Nucleotide sequences for nitrilase genes are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,810,648 to Stalker and DNA molecules containing these genes are available under ATCC Accession Nos. 53435, 67441 and 67442. Cloning and expression of DNA coding for a glutathione S-transferase is described by Hayes et al., Biochem. J. 285:173 (1992).

D. Acetohydroxy acid synthase, which has been found to make plants that express this enzyme resistant to multiple types of herbicides, has been introduced into a variety of plants. See Hattori et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 246:419, 1995. Other genes that confer tolerance to herbicides include a gene encoding a chimeric protein of rat cytochrome P4507A1 and yeast NADPH-cytochrome P450 oxidoreductase (Shiota et al., Plant Physiol., 106:17, 1994), genes for glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase (Aono et al., Plant Cell Physiol. 36:1687, 1995), and genes for various phosphotransferases (Datta et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 20:619, 1992).

E. Protoporphyrinogen oxidase (protox) is necessary for the production of chlorophyll, which is necessary for all plant survival. The protox enzyme serves as the target for a variety of herbicidal compounds. These herbicides also inhibit growth of all the different species of plants present, causing their total destruction. The development of plants containing altered protox activity which are resistant to these herbicides are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,288,306; 6,282,837; 5,767,373; and international publication WO 01/12825.

3. Genes that Confer or Contribute to a Value-Added Trait, Such as:

A. Modified fatty acid metabolism, for example, by transforming a plant with an antisense gene of stearyl-ACP desaturase to increase stearic acid content of the plant. See Knultzon et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 89:2625 (1992).

B. Decreased phytate content—1) Introduction of a phytase-encoding gene would enhance breakdown of phytate, adding more free phosphate to the transformed plant. For example, see Van Hartingsveldt et al., Gene 127:87 (1993), for a disclosure of the nucleotide sequence of an Aspergillus niger phytase gene. 2) A gene could be introduced that reduced phytate content. In maize, for example, this could be accomplished by cloning and then reintroducing DNA associated with the single allele which is responsible for maize mutants characterized by low levels of phytic acid. See Raboy et al., Maydica 35:383 (1990).

C. Modified carbohydrate composition effected, for example, by transforming plants with a gene coding for an enzyme that alters the branching pattern of starch. See Shiroza et al., J. Bacteriol. 170:810 (1988) (nucleotide sequence of Streptococcus mutants fructosyltransferase gene), Steinmetz et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 20:220 (1985) (nucleotide sequence of Bacillus subtilis levansucrase gene), Pen et al., Bio/Technology 10:292 (1992) (production of transgenic plants that express Bacillus lichenifonnis α-amylase), Elliot et al., Plant Molec. Biol. 21:515 (1993) (nucleotide sequences of tomato invertase genes), Søgaard et al., J. Biol. Chem. 268:22480 (1993) (site-directed mutagenesis of barley α-amylase gene), and Fisher et al., Plant Physiol. 102:1045 (1993) (maize endosperm starch branching enzyme II).

D. Elevated oleic acid via FAD-2 gene modification and/or decreased linolenic acid via FAD-3 gene modification. See U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,063,947; 6,323,392; and international publication WO 93/11245.

4. Genes that Control Male Sterility

A. Introduction of a deacetylase gene under the control of a tapetum-specific promoter and with the application of the chemical N-Ac-PPT. See international publication WO 01/29237.

B. Introduction of various stamen-specific promoters. See international publications WO 92/13956 and WO 92/13957.

C. Introduction of the barnase and the barstar genes. See Paul et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 19:611-622, 1992).

Methods for Potato Transformation

Numerous methods for plant transformation have been developed including biological and physical plant transformation protocols. See, for example, Miki et al., “Procedures for Introducing Foreign DNA into Plants” in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Glick, B. R. and Thompson, J. E. Eds. (CRC Press, Inc. Boca Raton, 1993) pages 67-88. In addition, expression vectors and in-vitro culture methods for plant cell or tissue transformation and regeneration of plants are available. See, for example, Gruber et al., “Vectors for Plant Transformation” in Methods in Plant Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Glick, B. R. and Thompson, J. E. Eds. (CRC Press, Inc., Boca Raton, 1993) pages 89-119.

A. Agrobacterium-mediated Transformation—One method for introducing an expression vector into plants is based on the natural transformation system of Agrobacterium. See, for example, Horsch et al., Science 227:1229 (1985). A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes are plant pathogenic soil bacteria which genetically transform plant cells. The Ti and Ri plasmids of A. tumefaciens and A. rhizogenes, respectively, carry genes responsible for genetic transformation of the plant. See, for example, Kado, C. I., Crit. Rev. Plant Sci. 10:1 (1991). Descriptions of Agrobacterium vector systems and methods for Agrobacterium-mediated gene transfer are provided by Gruber et al., supra, Miki et al., supra and Moloney et al., Plant Cell Reports 8:238 (1989). See also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,563,055 (Townsend and Thomas), issued Oct. 8, 1996.

B. Direct Gene Transfer—Several methods of plant transformation collectively referred to as direct gene transfer have been developed as an alternative to Agrobacterium-mediated transformation. A generally applicable method of plant surface of microprojectiles measuring 1 to 4 μm. The expression vector is introduced into plant tissues with a biolistic device that accelerates the microprojectiles to speeds of 300 to 600 m/s which is sufficient to penetrate plant cell walls and membranes. Sanford et al., Part. Sci. Technol. 5:27 (1987); Sanford, J. C., Trends Biotech. 6:299 (1988); Klein et al., Bio/Tech. 6:559-563 (1988); Sanford, J. C. Physiol Plant 7:206 (1990); Klein et al., Biotechnology 10:268 (1992). See also U.S. Pat. No. 5,015,580 (Christou, et al.), issued May 14, 1991 and U.S. Pat. No. 5,322,783 (Tomes, et al.), issued Jun. 21, 1994.

Another method for physical delivery of DNA to plants is sonication of target cells. Zhang et al., Bio/Technology 9:996 (1991). Alternatively, liposome and spheroplast fusion have been used to introduce expression vectors into plants. Deshayes et al., EMBO J., 4:2731 (1985); Christou et al., Proc Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 84:3962 (1987). Direct uptake of DNA into protoplasts using CaCl₂ precipitation, polyvinyl alcohol or poly-L-ornithine has also been reported. Hain et al., Mol. Gen. Genet. 199:161 (1985) and Draper et al., Plant Cell Physiol. 23:451 (1982). Electroporation of protoplasts and whole cells and tissues have also been described. Donn et al., In Abstracts of VIIth International Congress on Plant Cell and Tissue Culture IAPTC, A2-38, p 53 (1990); D'Halluin et al., Plant Cell 4:1495-1505 (1992) and Spencer et al., Plant Mol. Biol. 24:51-61 (1994).

Following transformation of potato target tissues, expression of the above-described selectable marker genes allows for preferential selection of transformed cells, tissues and/or plants, using regeneration and selection methods well known in the art.

The foregoing methods for transformation would typically be used for producing a transgenic variety. The transgenic variety could then be crossed with another (non-transformed or transformed) variety in order to produce a new transgenic variety. Alternatively, a genetic trait that has been engineered into a particular potato line using the foregoing transformation techniques could be moved into another line using traditional backcrossing techniques that are well known in the plant breeding arts. For example, a backcrossing approach could be used to move an engineered trait from a public, non-elite variety into an elite variety, or from a variety containing a foreign gene in its genome into a variety or varieties that do not contain that gene. As used herein, “crossing” can refer to a simple X by Y cross or the process of backcrossing depending on the context.

Persons of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that when the term potato plant is used in the context of the present invention, this also includes derivative varieties that retain the essential distinguishing characteristics of E12, such as a gene converted plant of that variety or a transgenic derivative having one or more value-added genes incorporated therein (such as herbicide or pest resistance). Backcrossing methods can be used with the present invention to improve or introduce a characteristic into the variety. The term “backcrossing” as used herein refers to the repeated crossing 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or more times of a hybrid progeny back to the recurrent parents. The parental potato plant which contributes the gene(s) for the one or more desired characteristics is termed the nonrecurrent or donor parent. This terminology refers to the fact that the nonrecurrent parent is used one time in the backcross protocol and therefore does not recur. The parental potato plant to which the gene or genes from the nonrecurrent parent are transferred is known as the recurrent parent as it is used for several rounds in the backcrossing protocol. In a typical backcross protocol, the original variety of interest (recurrent parent) is crossed to a second variety (nonrecurrent parent) that carries the gene(s) of interest to be transferred. The resulting progeny from this cross are then crossed again to the recurrent parent and the process is repeated until a potato plant is obtained wherein essentially all of the desired morphological and physiological characteristics of the recurrent parent are recovered in the converted plant, in addition to the one or more genes transferred from the nonrecurrent parent.

The selection of a suitable recurrent parent is an important step for a successful backcrossing procedure. The goal of a backcross protocol is to alter or substitute one or more traits or characteristics in the original variety. To accomplish this, one or more genes of the recurrent variety are modified, substituted or supplemented with the desired gene(s) from the nonrecurrent parent, while retaining essentially all of the rest of the desired genes, and therefore the desired physiological and morphological constitution of the original variety. The choice of the particular nonrecurrent parent will depend on the purpose of the backcross. One of the major purposes is to add some commercially desirable, agronomically important trait to the plant. The exact backcrossing protocol will depend on the characteristic or trait being altered or added to determine an appropriate testing protocol. Although backcrossing methods are simplified when the characteristic being transferred is a dominant allele, a recessive allele may also be transferred. In this instance, it may be necessary to introduce a test of the progeny to determine if the desired characteristic has been successfully transferred.

Likewise, transgenes can be introduced into the plant using any of a variety of established recombinant methods well-known to persons skilled in the art, such as: Gressel, 1985, Biotechnologically Conferring Herbicide Resistance in Crops: The Present Realities, In Molecular Form and Function of the Plant Genome, L. van Vloten-Doting, (ed.), Plenum Press, New York; Huttner, S. L., et al., 1992, Revising Oversight of Genetically Modified Plants, Bio/Technology; Klee, H., et al., 1989, Plant Gene Vectors and Genetic Transformation: Plant Transformation Systems Based on the use of Agrobacterium tumefaciens, Cell Culture and Somatic Cell Genetics of Plants; Koncz, C., et al., 1986, The Promoter of T_(L)-DNA Gene 5 Controls the Tissue-Specific Expression of Chimeric Genes Carried by a Novel Type of Agrobacterium Binary Vector; Molecular and General Genetics; Lawson, C., et al., 1990, Engineering Resistance to Mixed Virus Infection in a Commercial Potato Cultivar: Resistance to Potato Virus X and Potato Virus Y in Transgenic Russet Burbank, Bio/Technology; Mitsky, T. A., et al., 1996, Plants Resistant to Infection by PLRV. U.S. Pat. No. 5,510,253; Newell, C. A., et al., 1991, Agrobacterium-Mediated Transformation of Solanum tuberosum L. Cv. Russet Burbank, Plant Cell Reports; Perlak, F. J., et al., 1993, Genetically Improved Potatoes: Protection from Damage by Colorado Potato Beetles, Plant Molecular Biology; all of which are incorporated herein by reference for this purpose.

Many traits have been identified that are not regularly selected for in the development of a new variety but that can be improved by backcrossing and genetic engineering techniques. These traits may or may not be transgenic; examples of these traits include but are not limited to: herbicide resistance; resistance to bacterial, fungal or viral disease; insect resistance; uniformity or increase in concentration of starch and other carbohydrates; enhanced nutritional quality; decrease in tendency of tuber to bruise; and decrease in the rate of starch conversion to sugars. These genes are generally inherited through the nucleus. Several of these traits are described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,500,365, 5,387,756, 5,789,657, 5,503,999, 5,589,612, 5,510,253, 5,304,730, 5,382,429, 5,503,999, 5,648,249, 5,312,912, 5,498,533, 5,276,268, 4,900,676, 5,633,434 and 4,970,168.

Deposit Information

A tuber deposit of the J.R. Simplot Company proprietary POTATO CULTIVAR E12 disclosed above and recited in the appended claims has been made with the American Type Culture Collection (ATCC), 10801 University Boulevard, Manassas, Va. 20110. The date of deposit was May 23, 2013. The deposit of 25 vials of microtubers was taken from the same deposit maintained by J.R. Simplot Company since prior to the filing date of this application. All restrictions will be irrevocably removed upon granting of a patent, and the deposit is intended to meet all of the requirements of 37 C.F.R. §§1.801-1.809. The ATCC Accession Number is PTA-120372. The deposit will be maintained in the depository for a period of thirty years, or five years after the last request, or for the enforceable life of the patent, whichever is longer, and will be replaced as necessary during that period.

While a number of exemplary aspects and embodiments have been discussed above, those of skill in the art will recognize certain modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations thereof. It is therefore intended that the following appended claims and claims hereafter introduced are interpreted to include all such modifications, permutations, additions and sub-combinations as are within their true spirit and scope. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A potato tuber, or a part of a tuber, of potato cultivar E12, wherein a representative sample of said tuber was deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-120372.
 2. A potato plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing the tuber, or a part of the tuber, of claim
 1. 3. A potato plant having all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of the plant of claim 2, and comprising the insert region of pSIM1278 that is present in cultivar E12 which contains inverted repeats of potato DNA effective for inhibition of expression of the endogenous asparagine synthetase-1 gene and the endogenous polyphenol oxidase-5 gene in addition to inverted repeats of the endogenous potato promoters for the phosphorylase-L and dikinase R1 genes.
 4. A tissue culture of cells produced from the plant of claim 2, wherein said cells of the tissue culture are produced from a plant part selected from the group consisting of leaf, pollen, embryo, cotyledon, hypocotyl, meristematic cell, root, root tip, pistil, anther, flowers, stem and tuber, and wherein said tissue cultured cells comprise the insert region of pSIM1278 that is present in cultivar E12 which contains inverted repeats of potato DNA effective for inhibition of expression of the endogenous asparagine synthetase-1 gene and the endogenous polyphenol oxidase-5 gene in addition to inverted repeats of the endogenous potato promoters for the phosphorylase-L and dikinase R1 genes.
 5. A potato plant regenerated from the tissue culture of claim 4, wherein said plant has all of the physiological and morphological characteristics of potato cultivar E12.
 6. A potato seed produced by growing the potato tuber, or a part of the tuber, of claim 1, wherein said seed comprises the insert region of pSIM1278 that is present in cultivar E12 which contains inverted repeats of potato DNA effective for inhibition of expression of the endogenous asparagine synthetase-1 gene and the endogenous polyphenol oxidase-5 gene in addition to inverted repeats of the endogenous potato promoters for the phosphorylase-L and dikinase R1 genes.
 7. A potato plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing the seed of claim
 6. 8. A potato plant regenerated from tissue culture of the potato plant of claim 7, wherein said regenerated plant comprises the insert region of pSIM1278 that is present in cultivar E12 which contains inverted repeats of potato DNA effective for inhibition of expression of the endogenous asparagine synthetase-1 gene and the endogenous polyphenol oxidase-5 gene in addition to inverted repeats of the endogenous potato promoters for the phosphorylase-L and dikinase R1 genes.
 9. A method for producing a potato seed, said method comprising crossing two potato plants and harvesting the resultant potato seed, wherein at least one potato plant is the potato plant of claim
 2. 10. A method for producing a potato seed, said method comprising crossing two potato plants and harvesting the resultant potato seed, wherein at least one potato plant is the potato plant of claim
 7. 11. A potato seed produced by the method of claim 10, wherein said seed comprises the insert region of pSIM1278 that is present in cultivar E12 which contains inverted repeats of potato DNA effective for inhibition of expression of the endogenous asparagine synthetase-1 gene and the endogenous polyphenol oxidase-5 gene in addition to inverted repeats of the endogenous potato promoters for the phosphorylase-L and dikinase R1 genes.
 12. A potato plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing said potato seed of claim
 11. 13. A potato seed produced from the plant of claim 12, wherein said seed comprises the insert region of pSIM1278 that is present in cultivar E12 which contains inverted repeats of potato DNA effective for inhibition of expression of the endogenous asparagine synthetase-1 gene and the endogenous polyphenol oxidase-5 gene in addition to inverted repeats of the endogenous potato promoters for the phosphorylase-L and dikinase R1 genes.
 14. The method of claim 9, wherein one of said potato plants is transgenic and the other is potato cultivar E12.
 15. The method of claim 10, wherein one of said potato plants is transgenic and the other is potato cultivar E12.
 16. A potato plant, or a part thereof, produced by growing the seed produced by the method of claim 14, wherein said plant comprises the insert region of pSIM1278 that is present in cultivar E12 which contains inverted repeats of potato DNA effective for inhibition of expression of the endogenous asparagine synthetase-1 gene and the endogenous polyphenol oxidase-5 gene in addition to inverted repeats of the endogenous potato promoters for the phosphorylase-L and dikinase R1 genes.
 17. A method of introducing a desired trait into potato cultivar E12 , wherein the method comprises: (a) crossing an E12 plant, wherein a representative sample of tubers was deposited under ATCC Accession No. PTA-120372, with a plant of another potato cultivar that comprises a desired trait to produce progeny plants, wherein the desired trait is selected from the group consisting of male sterility, herbicide resistance, insect resistance, modified fatty acid metabolism, modified carbohydrate metabolism and resistance to bacterial disease, fungal disease or viral disease; (b) selecting one or more progeny plants that have the desired trait; (c) backcrossing the selected progeny plants with E12 plants to produce backcross progeny plants; (d) selecting for backcross progeny plants that have the desired trait; and (e) repeating steps (c) and (d) two or more times in succession to produce selected third or higher backcross progeny plants that comprise the desired trait.
 18. A potato plant produced by the method of claim 17, wherein the plant has the desired trait and comprises the insert region of pSIM1278 that is present in cultivar E12 which contains inverted repeats of potato DNA effective for inhibition of expression of the endogenous asparagine synthetase-1 gene and the endogenous polyphenol oxidase-5 gene in addition to inverted repeats of the endogenous potato promoters for the phosphorylase-L and dikinase R1 genes.
 19. The potato plant of claim 18, wherein the desired trait is herbicide resistance and the resistance is conferred to an herbicide selected from the group consisting of imidazolinone, sulfonylurea, glyphosate, glufosinate, L-phosphinothricin, triazine and benzonitrile.
 20. The potato plant of claim 18, wherein the desired trait is insect resistance and the insect resistance is conferred by a transgene encoding a Bacillus thuringiensis endotoxin.
 21. The potato plant of claim 18, wherein the desired trait is modified fatty acid metabolism or modified carbohydrate metabolism and said desired trait is conferred by a nucleic acid encoding a protein selected from the group consisting of fructosyltransferase, levansucrase, α-amylase, invertase and starch branching enzyme or DNA encoding an antisense of stearyl-ACP desaturase.
 22. A method of producing a commodity plant product, comprising obtaining the plant of claim 2, or a part thereof, and producing the commodity plant product from said plant or plant part thereof, wherein said commodity plant product is selected from the group consisting of French fries, potato chips, dehydrated potato material, potato flakes and potato granules.
 23. The commodity plant product produced by the method of claim 22, wherein said product comprises the insert region of pSIM1278 that is present in cultivar E12 which contains inverted repeats of potato DNA effective for inhibition of expression of the endogenous asparagine synthetase-1 gene and the endogenous polyphenol oxidase-5 gene in addition to inverted repeats of the endogenous potato promoters for the phosphorylase-L and dikinase R1 genes. 